Federal departments spent millions advertising on a China-made app now banned as a security risk, records show. Treasury Board President Mona Fortier said effective today TikTok is banned on all government-issue smartphones..“It presents an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security,” Fortier said in a statement. “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.”.According to Blacklock's Reporter, the Treasury Board did not explain why it previously approved spending millions on TikTok advertising. Cabinet in an Inquiry Of Ministry tabled in the Commons January 30 disclosed federal departments and agencies bought $2,211,696 worth of ads on TikTok since 2020..The largest expenditure of $2 million was by the Department of Public Works. Other TikTok budgeting was approved by the Department of Canadian Heritage, Department of Veterans Affairs, National Film Board and Parks Canada. The figures were requested by Conservative MP Michael Cooper (St. Albert-Edmonton, AB)..The federal TikTok ban follows a similar February 23 order by the European Commission for its employees and a December 29 security directive by the U.S. Government. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service has questioned the use of social media platforms as foreign surveillance tool..“Vast amounts of data can be collected,” Adam Fisher, director general of CSIS intelligence assessments, testified February 6 at the Commons Special Committee on Canada-China Relations. “It can assist the adversary in honing in their own targeting in terms of foreign influence activity. It’s also a vector for messaging and narratives that are friendly to and supportive of the authoritative regime.”.“Can you tell us what the Canadian Security Intelligence Service assessment is of TikTok with respect to espionage?” asked Conservative MP Michael Chong (Wellington-Halton Hills, ON). “I wouldn’t comment specifically on TikTok,” replied Fisher..“Would you recommend that TikTok be banned from Government of Canada devices?” asked Chong. “The Service provides assessments and advice to government and decision makers; that sort of thing is done in a confidential setting,” replied Fisher..The Commons ethics committee on January 31 approved a Liberal motion to “undertake a study on the use of TikTok and its parent company ByteDance Limited and all social media platforms over their involvement or use of the private information for the objective of data harvesting and unethical or illicit sharing of personal information with foreign entities.”.Legislators should do a “deep deep dive into something that I don’t think this committee’s looked at before, specifically TikTok and its parent company,” said Liberal MP Iqra Khalid (Mississauga-Erin Mills, ON), sponsor of the motion.
