Canada has become the latest country to ban TikTok from official devices amid concerns over privacy and security risks.
The ban, which comes into effect today, follows a similar move in the U.S., with the White House giving federal employees 30 days to uninstall the app on work devices on Monday. The EU’s main institutions, namely the European Parliament, European Council, and European Commission, are also banning TikTok from staff gadgets over cybersecurity concerns.
“This may be a first step, it may be the only step we need to take,” Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday.
TikTok, which is owned by Chinese firm ByteDance, has been criticised for personal data breaches and there are fears that Chinese government could collect data on western users and use it to spread misinformation.
TikTok stated that Canada’s ban had been made without any discussion with the social media giant. “We are always available to meet with our government officials to discuss how we protect the privacy and security of Canadians, but singling out TikTok in this way does nothing to achieve that shared goal,” TikTok said.
While restrictions may not extend to average users, the future of TikTok doesn’t look promising given the growing concerns over the video app.