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OTTAWA, KOMPAS.com– The Canadian government has officially banned China’s social media app, TikTok, from all cellphones and other government-issued devices starting this Tuesday (28/2/2023).

The reason has to do with concerns about user data protection.

In recent months, TikTok has come under scrutiny from the West over concerns about Beijing’s degree of access to user data.

Read also : European Union authorities ban staff from using TikTok, concerned about cybersecurity

The Canadian government said on Monday (2/27/2023) that the TikTok app will effectively be removed from government-issued mobile devices on Tuesday.

“Users of these devices will also be prevented from downloading the application in the future,” the Government of Canada said in a statement, quoted by the AFP news agency.

Canada’s Chief Information Officer has reportedly determined that the TikTok app poses an unacceptable level of risk to the privacy and security of its users.

While there is no evidence of a government data breach related to the app, the Government of Canada warns that TikTok’s data collection methods provide extensive access to phone content.

Previously, the European Commission previously banned the TikTok app from their gadgets last week, following similar steps in the United States.

A TikTok spokesperson said Canada’s decision to block TikTok was odd because it was made without citing specific security concerns or consulting with the company.

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Relations between China and Canada have deteriorated sharply in recent years, notably following Canada’s arrest of a senior Huawei executive in 2018 and China’s retaliatory detention of two Canadian nationals.

Last week, the Privacy Commissioner of Canada launched an investigation into TikTok regarding its collection and use of users’ personal information.

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