President of the Treasury Board Mona Fortier announced Monday that the application TikTok will be banned on all government-issued mobile devices due to concerns about foreign data collection..“The Government of Canada is committed to keeping government information secure. We regularly monitor our systems and take action to address risks," Fortier said in a statement..According to Fortier, TikTok will be removed from all government-issued phones on Feb. 28, 2023. Users will also be be blocked from downloading the application..This comes following the Chief Information Officer's review of the Chinese-made app, who found it presents an "unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security.".TikTok's parent company ByteDance has received criticism for the way it handles users' data. Privacy experts and spy agencies have warned that due to a Chinese law that requires companies to cooperate with Beijing if asked, user data, such as browsing history and location, could be accessed by the Chinese government..Fortier said while the risks of using TikTok are clear, the federal government has "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," Fortier said. "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.”.Fortier's announcement comes just days after the European Union banned the use of TikTok on its work phones. In the United States, Congress recently banned TikTok from most government-issued devices, and its armed forced have banned the app on military devices..The United States is also considering legislation to ban the app across the country, citing fears it could be used to spy on Americans..A spokesperson for TikTok called Canada's decision to ban the app for government-issued devices "curious," as it was done without citing any specific security concerns.."We are always available to meet with our government officials to discuss how we protect the privacy and security of Canadians, but singling out TikTok in this way does nothing to achieve that shared goal," they said. "All it does is prevent officials from reaching the public on a platform loved by millions of Canadians.".During a press conference on Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the government takes seriously the "freedom of expression, freedom of Canadians to engage how they want online."."But we also have very important principles around protection of data, protection of Canadians' safety and security, that we will always step up for," Trudeau said.."For government employees and government equipment, it is better that they not access TikTok because of concerns people have in terms of safety. This may be the first step, this may be the only step we need to take, but every step of the way we are going to be making sure we are keeping Canadians safe."
