The problems for TikTok continue as news is coming out that the Chinese owned social media app has been Banned on all Canadian government devices. This is what The President of the Treasury Board, Mona Fortier had to say:
“The Government of Canada is committed to keeping government information secure. We regularly monitor our systems and take action to address risks.
“Effective February 28, 2023, the TikTok application will be removed from government-issued mobile devices. Users of these devices will also be blocked from downloading the application in the future. Following a review of TikTok, the Chief Information Officer of Canada determined that it presents an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security.
The decision to remove and block TikTok from government mobile devices is being taken as a precaution, particularly given concerns about the legal regime that governs the information collected from mobile devices, and is in line with the approach of our international partners. On a mobile device, TikTok’s data collection methods provide considerable access to the contents of the phone.
“While the risks of using this application are clear, we have no evidence at this point that government information has been compromised.
“For the broader public, the decision to use a social media application or platform is a personal choice. However, the Communications Security Establishment’s Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (Cyber Centre) guidance strongly recommends that Canadians understand the risks and make an informed choice on their own before deciding what tools to use.”
This falls into line with an EU government ban along with a US Government ban on TikTok. Not to mention an ongoing investigation by the Privacy Commissioner and calls for an outright ban from a US Senator. And this also means that TikTok is in deep trouble here. These government bans are becoming more and more frequent. And you can expect that when, not if, the first country bans TikTok outright, other countries will quickly follow suit. And the thing is that TikTok really hasn’t expressed any reason that I can find to give any government a reason to stop this sort of thing from happening. Thus it leaves them insanely vulnerable from being wiped off millions of phones in 2023.