TikTok banned on all Canadian government mobile devices

OF THIS. ROSS. >> WELL, RIGHT NOW WE ARE ON THE PUBLIC CELLULAR DATA, SO I CAN LOG ON TO MY PERSONAL PHONE AND NO PROBLEM IS SEEING ALL THOSE FUNNY AND NOT SO FUNNY VIDEO ON TIK TOK. BUT IF YOU GO ACROSS THE STREET TO THE JSU STUDENT UNION, IT’S A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT STORY. I USED TO BE SO BEAUTIFUL. TIK TOK BLOCKED GOVERNOR TATE REEVES LAST MONTH ISSUED A DIRECTIVE TO STATE DEPARTMENT AND AGENCY HEADS BANNING THE POPULAR CHINESE OWNED APP ON ALL STATE ISSUED MOBILE DEVICES, AMID FEARS THAT USERS DATA COULD BE MISUSED BY THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT. THE BAN ALSO APPLIES TO THE STATE’S WI FI NETWORK AT STATE OFFICE BUILDINGS AND PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES LIKE JACKSON STATE OR INSIDE THE JSU STUDENT UNION. ON THE SECOND FOUR. WE’RE GOING TO TRY TO LOG IN TO THE UNIVERSITY’S WI FI TO SEE IF WE CAN LOG ON TO TIK TOR AND IT LOOKS LIKE WE’RE ON AND I’M GOING TO GO TO. YOU CAN SEE THE VIDEOS POP UP MOMENTARILY BECAUSE I HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN ON THE APP BEFORE WE GOT ON TO THE UNIVERSITY’S NETWORK. SO WE WERE ABLE TO LOG ON BRIEFLY. BUT AS YOU CAN SEE ON THE PHONE NOW, IT SAYS NO INTERNET CONNECTION. I THINK IT’S SHOCKING. >> IT’S A LITTLE SHOCKING FOR SHOW. YEAH, I DON’T THINK THAT WILL HAPPEN. >> JESS, YOU STUDENT JOJO ROWE SAYS HE DIDN’T KNOW IT WAS BANNED. HE’S HAD TROUBLE LOGGING ON. >> I SAY THE LAST COUPLE DAYS, THE LAST PAST WEEK, IT’S BEEN LIKE THE WIFE HAS BEEN SLOW SOBBING LIKE THIS. THE WIFE, BY CONNECTING TO MY SERVICE. >> WE ALSO WENT TO THE STATE CAPITOL TO CHECK ON THE TIK TOK BAN. SO WE’RE ON THE THIRD FLOOR OF THE STATE CAPITOL JUST ACROSS THE WAY FROM THE GOVERNOR’S OFFICE. WE’RE ON THE NETWORK AND NOW WE’RE GOING TO MOVE OVER TO ONCE AGAIN THE TIK TOK APP. AND YOU CAN SEE IT’S NOT MOVING. SO IT’S NOT ACCESSIBLE. BACK AT JSU ROW, I TOLD US HE HAS NO PROBLEM WITH TIK TALK BEING BLOCKED. >> WELL, THERE’S PLENTY OF OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS. YOU KNOW, I’M SAYING IF ORDER TO GO ON INSTAGRAM, I CAN GO ON INSTAGRAM AND SAY, IF I WAS ADDICTED TO TIK TOK DENOUNCING THERE’S A PROBLEM. LIKE IT’S NOT TO ME. NOW, A NUMBER OF OTHER STATES ACROSS THE COUNTRY HAVE ALSO BANNED SIMILAR BANS ON TIK TOK ON STATE OWNED DEVICES. >> WE’RE NOT SURE HOW LONG THE GOVERNOR’S BLOCKING OF TIKTOK WILL BE IN EFFECT, BUT THERE ARE A LOT OF CRITICS OF, AGAIN, THIS POPULAR APP WHO WANT PRESIDENT BIDEN TO BLOCK IT COMPLETELY ON ALL DEVICES ACROSS THE COUNTRY. TONIGHT, WE’RE LIVE

Video above: Mississippi bans TikTok from government-issued devices, networksCanada announced Monday it is banning TikTok from all government-issued mobile devices, reflecting widening worries from Western officials over the Chinese-owned video-sharing app.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said it might be a first step to further action.“I suspect that as government takes the significant step of telling all federal employees that they can no longer use TikTok on their work phones many Canadians from business to private individuals will reflect on the security of their own data and perhaps make choices,�� Trudeau said.The European Union’s executive branch said last week it has temporarily banned TikTok from phones used by employees as a cybersecurity measure.The EU’s action follows similar moves in the U.S., where more than half of the states and Congress have banned TikTok from official government devices.Last week, Canada’s federal privacy watchdog and its provincial counterparts in British Columbia, Alberta and Quebec announced an investigation to delve into whether the app complies with Canadian privacy legislation.TikTok is wildly popular with young people, but its Chinese ownership has raised fears that Beijing could use it to collect data on Western users or push pro-China narratives and misinformation. TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company that moved its headquarters to Singapore in 2020.TikTok faces intensifying scrutiny from Europe and America over security and data privacy amid worries that the app could be used to promote pro-Beijing views or sweep up users�� information. It comes as China and the West are locked in a wider tug-of-war over technology ranging from spy balloons to computer chips.Canadian Treasury Board President Mona Fortier said the federal government will also block the app from being downloaded on official devices in the future.Fortier said in a statement that the Chief Information Officer of Canada determined that it “presents an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security.”The app will be removed from Canadian government-issued phones on Tuesday.“On a mobile device, TikTok’s data collection methods provide considerable access to the contents of the phone,�� Fortier said.“While the risks of using this application are clear, we have no evidence at this point that government information has been compromised.”Recent media reports have also raised concerns about potential Chinese interference in recent Canadian elections, prompting opposition parties to call for a public inquiry into alleged foreign election interference.“It’s curious that the Government of Canada has moved to block TikTok on government-issued devices—without citing any specific security concern or contacting us with questions—only after similar bans were introduced in the EU and the US," a TikTok spokesperson said in an email.The company is always available to discuss the privacy and security of Canadians, the statement said. “Singling out TikTok in this way does nothing to achieve that shared goal,�� the email said. "All it does is prevent officials from reaching the public on a platform loved by millions of Canadians.��

Video above: Mississippi bans TikTok from government-issued devices, networks

Canada announced Monday it is banning TikTok from all government-issued mobile devices, reflecting widening worries from Western officials over the Chinese-owned video-sharing app.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said it might be a first step to further action.

“I suspect that as government takes the significant step of telling all federal employees that they can no longer use TikTok on their work phones many Canadians from business to private individuals will reflect on the security of their own data and perhaps make choices,�� Trudeau said.

The European Union’s executive branch said last week from phones used by employees as a cybersecurity measure.

The EU’s action follows similar moves in the U.S., where more than half of the states and Congress have banned TikTok from official government devices.

Last week, Canada’s federal privacy watchdog and its provincial counterparts in British Columbia, Alberta and Quebec announced an investigation to delve into whether the app complies with Canadian privacy legislation.

TikTok is wildly popular with young people, but its Chinese ownership has raised fears that Beijing could use it to collect data on Western users or push pro-China narratives and misinformation. TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company that moved its headquarters to Singapore in 2020.

TikTok faces intensifying scrutiny from Europe and America over security and data privacy amid worries that the app could be used to promote pro-Beijing views or sweep up users�� information. It comes as China and the West are locked in a wider tug-of-war over technology ranging from spy balloons to computer chips.

Canadian Treasury Board President Mona Fortier said the federal government will also block the app from being downloaded on official devices in the future.

Fortier said in a statement that the Chief Information Officer of Canada determined that it “presents an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security.��

The app will be removed from Canadian government-issued phones on Tuesday.

“On a mobile device, TikTok’s data collection methods provide considerable access to the contents of the phone,�� Fortier said.

“While the risks of using this application are clear, we have no evidence at this point that government information has been compromised.��

Recent media reports have also raised concerns about potential Chinese interference in recent Canadian elections, prompting opposition parties to call for a public inquiry into alleged foreign election interference.

“It’s curious that the Government of Canada has moved to block TikTok on government-issued devices—without citing any specific security concern or contacting us with questions—only after similar bans were introduced in the EU and the US," a TikTok spokesperson said in an email.

The company is always available to discuss the privacy and security of Canadians, the statement said. “Singling out TikTok in this way does nothing to achieve that shared goal,�� the email said. "All it does is prevent officials from reaching the public on a platform loved by millions of Canadians.��

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TikTok banned on all Canadian government mobile devices

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