N.S. bans TikTok from government devices
The Nova Scotia government has banned the social media app TikTok from all government issued devices.
The ban took effect Wednesday, March 1.
On Monday, Feb. 27, the federal government announced it was banning the Chineseowned social media app from government-issued devices, saying it presented an “unacceptable” level of risk to privacy and security.
The move came among increased concerns about TikTok, which is owned by Chinese firm ByteDance Ltd. and its connection to Beijing.
“There is no need for the TikTok app to be on governmentissued mobile devices,” Colton LeBlanc, Minister of Service Nova Scotia and Internal Services, said in a news release. “On March 1, the TikTok app will be removed from all governmentissued mobile devices and blocked from being accessed to protect the privacy and security of government information.”
The release said that the TikTok application's data collection methods provide substantial access to the contents of a mobile device on which it is installed, 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 ban applies to all government departments and agencies, including Nova Scotia Health.
Meanwhile, Nova Scotia’s largest city is considering a similar move.
In an email, Halifax Regional Municipality spokeswoman Laura Wright said HRM “is aware of the federal government’s recent decision concerning the use of TikTok. Municipal leadership is reviewing the concerns and considerations that were raised by the federal government to determine what it means for municipal staff and the devices / information systems we use and manage.”
The federal treasury board said in a statement Feb. 27 that federal employees would also be blocked from downloading the application in the future, and that TikTok's data collection methods provide considerable access to the contents of the phone. The statement said that while the risks are clear, there is no evidence that the government information has been compromised.
The Quebec government followed suit Monday after Ottawa announced its ban. The European Union made a similar ban earlier in the month, and the United States government did so in December.