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OTTAWA—Canada on Monday followed the lead of the U.S. and European Commission and banned the TikTok app from government-issued devices, citing an “unacceptable” level of risk to privacy and security.
The prohibition in Canada, effective Tuesday, would add to a patchwork of bans affecting government employees in the U.S. and Europe, based over national-security concerns about TikTok’s owner, Beijing-based ByteDance Ltd. Some U.S. and European lawmakers and officials have expressed concern that Beijing could force TikTok to hand over data on its users, or to influence the videos they view.
Last week, the European Commission, or the European Union’s executive branch, banned its staff from using TikTok on work-issued devices. At the same time Europe issued its directive, Canadian regulators opened a probe into the platform’s privacy practices.
In the U.S., the federal government and most states have similarly banned government employees from using TikTok on government-owned devices.
Canada’s minister responsible for the public service,
Mona Fortier,
said officials, following a review, determined the TikTok app “presents an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security.”
She said the decision also stems from concerns about the legal framework under which information is collected from mobile devices, and is in line with policies adopted by international partners, such as the U.S. and Europe.
A spokeswoman for TikTok said Canada blocked TikTok on government-issued devices “without citing any specific security concern or contacting us with questions.” She added the company is “always available to meet with 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.”
Representatives for Ms. Fortier didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
This marks the second decision in less than a week from Canadian authorities targeting TikTok. Last week, Canadian privacy regulators on both the federal and provincial levels said they had initiated an investigation into whether TikTok obtained “valid and meaningful consent” on the collection, use and disclosure of personal information. “An important proportion of TikTok users are younger users,” Canadian authorities said, adding their probe would focus on children’s privacy.
At an event in suburban Toronto, Canadian Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau
said the government’s decision on TikTok could prompt businesses and individuals to “reflect on the security of their own data and perhaps make choices in consequence.”
TikTok was the most downloaded app in 2022 in both the world and the U.S., according to analytics firm Apptopia.
Write to Paul Vieira at Paul.Vieira@wsj.com
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