The City of London, Ont. has confirmed that it has blocked the popular app TikTok from municipal mobile devices.
The policy took effect on March 2, and comes after the Treasury Board of Canada announced it would block the use of the app on government-issued mobile devices, said Mat Daley, the city’s director of information technology services.
“Access to TikTok from a web browser — for City mobile devices as well as for City desktops and laptops — will continue to be permitted,” Daley said.
“Information Technologies Services will continue to monitor Canadian Centre for Cyber Security guidance, and may revisit recommended restrictions based on future guidance.”
The city is just the latest governmental body to issue such a ban amid intensifying scrutiny of the Chinese-owned video-sharing platform and concerns over data security.
The Chinese government has a stake in TikTok’s owner, ByteDance, and a 2017 law requires Chinese companies give the government any personal data relevant to the country’s national security.
Canada’s chief information officer recently conducted a review of the platform and determined it posed an “unacceptable” level of risk to privacy and security, leading to the federal government and House of Commons banning the app from devices last week.
The provinces of Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Quebec and Saskatchewan have also banned the app on government devices following similar moves in the U.S. and the European Union, and provincial and federal privacy watchdogs are delving into whether TikTok complies with Canadian privacy legislation.
“What we were seeking to do is to keep folks safe, and we’re also big advocates of education, awareness and informed decision-making, and that folks take the time to understand the terms of service, how the data is being collected, how it’s being used, and proceed with caution,” Daly said.
ByteDance maintains that it does not share data with China’s government and its data is not held in that country, and has accused Ottawa of singling out the company. There’s been no evidence that ByteDance has turned over information to the Chinese government.
The TikTok bans come amid ongoing concerns about alleged Chinese interference in the last two federal elections.
Global News recently reported, citing anonymous sources, that the Canadian Security Intelligence Service had urged senior Liberal party staff to rescind Han Dong’s nomination in a Toronto riding in 2019 due to alleged Chinese interference in his bid to become the Liberal candidate.
Dong has rejected the allegations, and has said his nomination and campaign teams have found no indication of irregularities or compliance issues regarding his candidacy or election.
The Globe and Mail, citing classified records from Canada’s spy agency, reported last month that China worked to help ensure a Liberal minority victory in 2021, as well as defeat Conservative politicians considered unfriendly to Beijing.
On Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced he would appoint an independent watchdog to investigate foreign interference in Canada and recommend how to better respond to the challenge.
— with files from The Associated Press and The Canadian Press