The Canadian government has decided to ban the video-sharing app TikTok from all government-issued devices starting Tuesday. The move follows a review by Canada’s chief information officer, which found that the app “presents an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security”. The app has been criticized for its use of personal information and links to the Chinese government, and several other countries have already implemented public bans.
Canadian privacy regulators are also investigating TikTok over concerns about user data, particularly whether the company obtains “valid and meaningful” consent from users when collecting personal information. About a quarter of Canadian adults use the app, according to a recent survey.
TikTok has responded to the ban, saying that the company was disappointed by the decision and that the ban happened “without citing any specific security concerns about TikTok or contacting us to discuss any concern prior to making this decision”. The company insisted that Chinese government officials do not have access to user data and that a Chinese version of the app is separate from the one used in the rest of the world.
For about a month, TikTok, Facebook, Telegram, YouTube and Instagram is not accessible in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The government of Ethiopia has made no official statements about the decision or timetable for shutting down these digital social media platforms.
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