In a surprising turn of events, the government of Canada has made an impact regarding the fate of TikTok. Government users of the popular social media platform will need to find another app for fun.
According to the government, it was the right decision after multiple rounds of evaluation. The app posed an “unacceptable level of risk.” Canada is concerned about the possible involvement between ByteDance and China.
Due to the multiple privacy and security issues, there was no other way than to block the app from being installed in all government-issued mobile devices.. This is important as it may give strength to a new move that will ban the app from several markets, including the US.
Canada took this decision after certain concerns arose. The app had suspicious data collection methods; which is a major risk for cyber attacks. Canada accuses the app of collecting a large amount of user data and sharing it with the Chinese government.
As usual, the company has consistently been denying this fact. However, we can cite another Chinese company Huawei, which denied its ties with China; but the denial did not change the fate of the giant.
From February 28, 2023, the TikTok app will be removed from government-issued mobile devices. Users of these devices will also be blocked from downloading the app”. This move is being taken for the sake of security.
After all, there are some concerns about the legal regime that governs the info collected from mobile devices. Also, it is in line with the approach of Canada’s international partners. “TikTok’s data collection methods provide considerable access to the contents of the phone.”
Right now, the move will not have a direct effect on the overall users. But it is certainly the start of something. If more concerns emerge, Canada could inevitably opt for a national ban. This would prevent regular users from using the app.
The goal is clearly to prevent foreign interference and cyber threats. Canada hopes to mitigate the risks associated with the app’s data collection. It will also safeguard sensitive data from potential breaches. For now, the app may still be popular across users; but that does not mean it will always be as more bans are likely to come in the future.
If TikTok’s situation gets worse and more countries opt for a full ban, Canada will inevitably follow suit. Right now, it is believed that the US is the key component in this game. It will be hard for its allies to keep supporting the App if Big Uncle Sam opts for a ban. Given the rising concerns and the growing tensions between US and China, this seems just to be a matter of time.
