First the USA, then the European Union and then Canada. As security concerns over TikTok unsettle countries, the app is being banned in more and more places.
In particular, TikTok’s concerns are increasing. Countries and leaders say popular social media app TikTok is spying. These claims have recently turned into a movement rather than a discourse. The last country to join this movement and ban TikTok was Canada.
Canada Bans TikTok
Canada announced earlier this week that it has banned the app on all government-issued devices, saying TikTok poses an “unacceptable” level of risk to privacy and security. As we mentioned in our previous news, ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, is allegedly close to the Chinese government and shares user data with China.
Canada’s president, Justin Trudeau, told reporters that his government is carefully examining how to ensure Canadians’ safety online. After the TikTok decision, Trudeau said, “This may be the first step, or it may be the only step we have to take.”
TikTok Confused
Treasury Board Chairman Mona Fortier said in a statement that TikTok’s data collection methods provide significant access to the phone’s content. However, Fortier also states that they do not have any evidence that TikTok has seized any government information. Therefore, banning an application without proof may indicate that the situation has turned into a witch hunt.
While all this is happening, TikTok is simply baffled. After Canada’s decision, a TikTok spokesperson said they were disappointed with the decision, saying the ban was imposed “without mentioning any security concerns or contacting us.”
