The province of Nova Scotia is banning TikTok on all government-issued mobile devices, following the federal government’s ban of the social media app announced earlier this week.
As of Wednesday, the app will be removed from all provincial government devices and blocked from being accessed “to protect the privacy and security of government information,” according to Colton LeBlanc, the province’s Minister of Service Nova Scotia and Internal Services.
“There is no need for the TikTok app to be on government-issued mobile devices,” he said a news release and statement released just after 6 p.m. Tuesday.
The release said the app, which allows users to create short-form videos with music, has data collection methods that give substantial access to the contents of the phone, “making those who have downloaded the application more vulnerable to surveillance.”
“There are also concerns about the legal regime that governs the information collected. There is no evidence at this time that foreign actors have compromised government information,” the release noted.
Concern around the app stems from the platform’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance. There have been warnings that China’s government could access user data.
On Monday, the federal government said it was banning the use of the popular app effective the next day on government-issued devices.
Since that announcement, Quebec has also banned the app from government-issued devices, and Ontario has told Global News it is something they’re “reviewing.”
Last week, the privacy commissioners of Canada, Alberta, British Columbia, and Quebec announced they were embarking on a joint investigation into TikTok.
When asked about the issue during a news conference on Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the government is “looking carefully at how to ensure Canadians are kept safe online.”
“We’re making the decision for government employees, for government equipment, it is better to not have them access TikTok because of the concerns that people have in terms of safety,” Trudeau said.
The European Commission has also banned TikTok on its work phones. The app has also been banned in India, while the United States is considering legislation to ban it amid fears it could be used to spy on Americans and censor content.
— with files from Global News’ Rachel Gilmore
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