Canada Also Bans TikTok on Government Devices

Justin Trudeau is Prime Minister Canada has announced Monday that it will ban TikTok’s Chinese social media app from all government-issued phones.

US Congress TikTok’s parent firm is prohibited from doing business in the US at this time. Trudeau stated that this was just one step of many that could or might not be taken.

“We take very seriously freedom of expression and freedom for Canadians to engage how they want online but there are principles around data protection and Canadian security that we’ll always step up for.

Trudeau said Canada was “Pay attention” on how Canadians can be kept safe online. 

“I think that when government informs federal employees that they cannot use TikTok from their work phones, many Canadians will be able to reflect on the security and make choices about their personal data.” Trudeau said.

“I love giving Canadians the information they need in order to make good decisions.” he continued.

On Thursday, Canada’s federal privacy protection authority as well as those of British Columbia, Alberta, and Quebec, announced that they would be launching a joint investigation into TikTok.

The four privacy protection authorities said in a statement that they will examine whether TikTok is acting in compliance with Canadian privacy legislation with a particular focus on “Whether valid and meaningful consent has been obtained for the collection and use of personal data.”

“The investigation.” they wrote, “This will help determine whether the company is complying with its transparency obligations, especially when it comes to collecting personal data from its customers.”

The move to ban the app from government devices comes as his government deals with a scandal involving China and the role that it played in The 2019 election.

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