TikTok Is Officially Banned In Canada, Is The US Next?
Amid growing concerns of TikTok serving as an international security risk, Canada banned the app from all government-issued devices, but it remains unclear if the US will enact a similar sweeping maneuver, although many US states have already taken measures to bar the app on local government-issued devices.
TikTok is a social media platform that shares millions of short videos worldwide. Many businesses use it to plug their new product or service, as the platform boasts over a billion users worldwide. But it seems that many countries are becoming concerned about the safety of TikTok, as Canada has now banned the platform for all government-issued electronic devices.
The Canadian government has banned TikTok from all government-issued devices as many cybersecurity concerns have come to light regarding the uber-popular app. The ban will start from Tuesday next week. According to the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, the ban will stop anyone from downloading the app, and anyone with TikTok installed on their electronic device will be removed.
This ban comes as the chief information officer of Canada reviewed the social media platform and found that it has a high level of risk to both privacy and security. This decision was made to be consistent with other international countries as more than half the states in America, along with the European Commission, have banned TikTok on any devices or specific official networks.
TikTok was founded in 2016 and is now available in more than 150 countries worldwide. It is one of the most popular social media sites and has catapulted many brands and influencers into mega-stardom due to the high number of people using the app on a daily basis. It is fast becoming one of the biggest, most powerful social media platforms.
After Canada released its plans to ban the social media site, TikTok released a statement which included that Canada has only followed suit with America and the EU after they implemented TikTok bans. TikTok also stated that the Canadian government made no effort to contact the companies to discuss these concerns.
TikTok finished the statement by saying that they are always willing to meet with government officials concerned about security issues and privacy relating to data and other areas. Banning the site does nothing but take away a platform that millions of Canadians use daily and love.
America and other countries are worried about TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance. ByteDance is Chinese-based and could be forced by their government to release any data they have accumulated from TikTok accounts, which could be a disastrous information breach.
While this might seem like an overstretch for many people, experts believe that this data breach by the Chinese government could happen and that type of access to this information is possible in the future. So far, no incident of any data or security breach through TikTok has occurred, but that doesn’t mean it can’t happen in the future.
There are too many risks with this app for it to continue to be used freely. There is no evidence that any information has been compromised, but how long do you use something that could be a clear threat before an incident does occur? TikTok is a significant player in the world of social media. Still, if you are not a secure platform, governments will stop your businesses from operating, as national security is more important than anything.
