TikTok on government devices under assessment in Canada – National
Ottawa is weighing latest strikes by allies that banned the controversial social media utility TikTok from government devices, however there’s no phrase but if the same ban may occur right here.
The Treasury Board Secretariat, the nerve centre of federal government processes and functioning, stated in a press release despatched to World Information on Friday that it’s working with different departments to “guarantee government data programs and networks stay safe and guarded.”
“The Government of Canada is assessing the state of affairs, together with the legislative announcement by our U.S. allies, and lately the European Fee, and can decide subsequent steps as crucial,” a spokesperson for TBS stated in a press release.
World Information had requested whether or not the company was contemplating banning the app on government devices.
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TikTok is dealing with a joint investigation from Canadian privateness watchdogs
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The European Fee introduced an outright ban on using the appliance on work telephones Thursday morning — together with private devices which can be enrolled in the fee’s “cellular gadget service.”
The app has additionally been banned in India, and the USA is at the moment contemplating laws to ban TikTok amid fears it might be used to spy on Individuals and censor content material.
Congress additionally lately banned TikTok from most U.S. government-issued devices over bipartisan considerations about safety, and the U.S. armed forces even have prohibited the app on navy devices.
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The considerations clouding the social media platform stem from TikTok’s Chinese language guardian firm, ByteDance.
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The corporate has confronted criticism from those that warn that China’s government may entry consumer knowledge, reminiscent of looking historical past and placement — because of a Chinese language legislation that requires personal firms to cooperate with Beijing if requested.
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Why is TikTok under investigation in Canada?
Canada’s federal privateness watchdog additionally introduced on Thursday that it’s launching a joint investigation into TikTok with three provincial counterparts.
The investigation, the privateness commissioner’s workplace stated, will dig into whether or not TikTok’s practices are “in compliance” with Canadian privateness laws and whether or not “significant consent is being obtained for the gathering, use and disclosure of non-public data.”
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The European Fee banned TikTok on work telephones. May Canada be subsequent?
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Of specific concern to the watchdogs is the privateness of the youthful Canadians, who dominate using the appliance in the nation.
A survey carried out by Toronto Metropolitan University’s Social Media Lab, launched in September, discovered that simply 26 per cent of all Canadians at the moment use TikTok. Nonetheless, 76 per cent of these aged 18-24 have an account on the platform, it revealed.
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Canadian MPs are additionally set to probe safety considerations in regards to the standard social media utility at a parliamentary committee.
The Home of Commons ethics committee voted earlier this month to undertake a research into TikTok and different social media platforms’ use “of personal data of Canadians for the target of knowledge harvesting.”
TikTok was essentially the most-downloaded utility in 2022, according to Forbes.
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