City of Hamilton, Niagara police, college review TikTok use after Ottawa removes it from federal devices
Federal government says it's banning TikTok from government phones due to security concerns
The City of Hamilton, Niagara Regional Police Service and Mohawk College are some of the Ontario institutions reviewing how they use TikTok after security concerns prompted Ottawa to start removing and blocking the video-sharing platform from all federal government devices.
TikTok, which specializes in the sharing of short videos, is owned by Beijing-based internet technology company ByteDance.
There have been longstanding concerns about whether it could be compelled to share information with China's government, and the app could be used to collect users' private information and exploit or blackmail them.
Last week, Canada's federal privacy regulator, along with three provincial counterparts, launched a joint probe of the platform's collection, use and disclosure of users' personal information.
Mona Fortier, president of the Treasury Board, said in a statement that the chief information officer determined the app "presents an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security."
The move came amid heightened tensions between China and the West. British Columbia and Nova Scotia have banned the app on government phones, while Newfoundland and Labrador is considering a ban.
No word on risk assessment prior to using app for some
The City of Hamilton is taking the federal government's concerns "very seriously," Jen Recine, a spokesperson for the city, told CBC Hamilton.
"The city is reviewing the recent announcement by the federal government and reviewing its own social media program and platforms to determine if it needs to make any changes," Recine said.
She also said before starting the city's TikTok pilot, the city reviewed public sector use of the app and met with TikTok representatives to discuss government direction in other countries.
Recine said the city took a "cautious approach" but is now "re-evaluating" the pilot.
"The city is doing an environmental scan and is meeting with its information technology security experts to review the current status of TikTok in Canada and to identify next steps," Recine said.
NRPS spokesperson Stephanie Sabourin said the police service is "reviewing the platform and potential security concerns."
Bill Steinburg, a spokesperson for Mohawk College in Hamilton, said the college is "aware of the government's decision and is assessing the situation."
Wade Hemsworth, a spokesperson for McMaster University in Hamilton, said the school is "closely following" the decision.
"It will be helpful to have additional information on the specific concerns that led to the government decision and why they felt that the ban on government devices was the best approach," he wrote in an email.
"As we continue to monitor the situation, our ongoing education for our community on how to safeguard devices against security and privacy threats will continue."
None of the institutions besides the City of Hamilton would say if a risk assessment was done prior to creating an account and using TikTok.
The Hamilton Police Service didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.
A TikTok spokesperson previously said they were "disappointed" by the federal government's move, and the company didn't receive any communication prior to the decision.
"We are always available to meet with our government officials to discuss how we protect the privacy and security of Canadians, but singling out TikTok in this way does nothing to achieve that shared goal. All it does is prevent officials from reaching the public on a platform loved by millions of Canadians."
Privacy experts have mixed feelings about ban
Vass Bednar, executive director of the master of public policy in digital society program at McMaster University, recently told The Current that the federal government's move was "frustrating" because none of the information about the app's privacy seems to be new.
"They're saying that there's an unacceptable level of risk that has recently been determined by the chief information officer. I'd like to know why now ... I think we're jumping on a bit of a bandwagon," Bednar said.
"I like to see government moving quickly on digital policy, but I don't appreciate something that can seem empty, you know — a gesture that doesn't have enough behind it, frankly."
Carlisle Adams, a computer security researcher at the University of Ottawa, told CBC Hamilton the ban may be the right move.
"Of course, many apps have greater permissions than they strictly need to do their advertised function, and so privacy is at risk on mobile devices from many pieces of software, not just TikTok," Adams said.
"But if specific problems have been found with TikTok, then blocking it from government devices, or any devices that might contain highly sensitive data of corporate or national interest, is the right thing to do."
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With files from Padraig Moran and Richard Raycraft