The European Commission banned TikTok on work phones. Could Canada be next? – National | 24CA News

The European Commission is banning the usage of TikTok on its company gadgets, the governing physique introduced on Thursday.

The choice is a part of a push from the fee to “increase its cybersecurity,” an announcement on the Commission’s web site defined. The suspension of the controversial software will apply to the entire Commission’s company gadgets and to private gadgets which can be “enrolled in the Commission mobile device service.”

The transfer comes as Canadian MPs are set to probe safety issues concerning the well-liked social media software at a parliamentary committee.

The House of Commons ethics committee voted earlier this month to undertake a examine into TikTok and different social media platforms’ use “of private information of Canadians for the objective of data harvesting.”

It’s unclear when the examine will start, or whether or not the findings from the probe might affect whether or not Canadian establishments crack down on the appliance on official gadgets, because the European Commission simply determined to do on Thursday.

In its reasoning for the choice, the European Commission solid the transfer as aiming “to protect the Commission against cybersecurity threats and actions which may be exploited for cyber-attacks against the corporate environment of the Commission.”

The assertion went on so as to add that safety developments of “other social media platforms” will even stay below “constant review.”

“The Commission is committed to ensuring that its staff is well protected against increasing cyber threats and incidents. It is, therefore, our duty to respond as early as possible to potential cyber alerts,” it mentioned.

The crux of the priority comes right down to TikTok’s Chinese mum or dad firm, ByteDance.

The firm has confronted criticism from those that warn the Chinese authorities might entry person knowledge, corresponding to searching historical past and placement.

That’s as a result of China has a regulation that requires personal firms to cooperate with Beijing if requested.

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In an announcement earlier this month following the ethics committee choice to launch its probe, a spokesperson for TikTok instructed Global News that “with success and growth comes scrutiny.”

“We are committed to not only meeting, but exceeding Canadians’ expectations when it comes to the security and privacy of their data,” the spokesperson mentioned.

The firm continues to have a “constructive relationship” with the Canadian authorities, they added, and welcomes the chance to “engage with policymakers to demonstrate how we protect the security and privacy of Canadian users.”

“We welcome the opportunity to set the record straight regarding falsehoods about the integrity of the TikTok platform,” the spokesperson mentioned.

The European Commission choice is the newest in a string of crackdowns on the usage of the favored social media software.

The app has been banned in India, and the United States is presently contemplating laws to ban TikTok amid fears it might be used to spy on Americans and censor content material.

Congress additionally not too long ago banned TikTok from most U.S. government-issued gadgets over bipartisan issues about safety, and the U.S. armed forces even have prohibited the app on navy gadgets.

TikTok was the most-downloaded software in 2022, in accordance with Forbes.

A survey performed by Toronto Metropolitan University’s Social Media Lab, which was launched in September, discovered that simply 26 per cent of all Canadians presently use TikTok. However, 76 per cent of these aged 18-24 have an account on the platform, it revealed.

— With information from The Associated Press

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