Manitoba bans TikTok on government-issued devices

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This article was published 02/03/2023 (1004 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba has become the latest province to follow Ottawa’s lead and ban the Chinese-owned TikTok social media app on all government-issued mobile devices amid concerns over privacy and security.

The ban will come into effect Monday, Government Services Minister James Teitsma said.

“After careful review, we have determined the level of security and privacy risk with the use of TikTok on mobile devices is unacceptable,” he said in a news release Thursday. “Protecting the privacy and security of government information is a priority, so TikTok will be removed from all mobile devices issued by the Manitoba government.”

Assessments will be carried out to determine if similar policies are required for Manitoba Crown corporations and other public-sector organizations.

The province said the ban is precautionary and there is no evidence the video-sharing app has compromised Manitoba government information.

The government expressed concern about the app’s collection of data, which it said makes devices susceptible to surveillance.

“To ensure the Manitoba government’s information remains safe and secure, we will also review all social media applications,” said Teitsma. “Social media is an effective tool for reaching out to Manitobans, but it must be done in a secure manner.”

China’s government owns a stake in TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, and Chinese laws allow the country to demand access to user data.

ByteDance maintains it does not share data with China’s government and its data is not held in that country.

On Monday, the Canadian government announced it was banning TikTok on its work-issued devices, after Canada’s privacy watchdog determined the app presents an “unacceptable level of risk” to privacy and security.

Mona Fortier, president of the Treasury Board, said TikTok’s data collection methods allow for “considerable access” to a phone’s contents.

Ottawa’s ban went into effect Tuesday.

Last week, the federal privacy watchdog and its counterparts in B.C., Alberta and Quebec began an investigation into whether TikTok complies with Canada’s privacy laws.

Alberta, B.C. and Saskatchewan are among the provinces which have also banned the app on government-issued devices.

Similar action is being taken by governments in the U.S. and European Union.

New York-based research firm Insider Intelligence estimates the number of TikTok users in Canada will climb to almost nine million in 2023.

The total has quadrupled in the past three years amid the app’s surge in popularity, especially among younger people.

Insider Intelligence also predicts TikTok will have 834 million monthly users worldwide this year.

— Staff and files from The Canadian Press