NDP reactivates TikTok account despite foreign interference risk and security concerns

The federal NDP reactivated its TikTok account this spring — despite the popular social media platform being banned from all government-issued phones.

The NDP says it has taken enough security measures to protect itself from TikTok, a platform that Public Safety Canada warns poses an unacceptable level of risk to the privacy and security of Canadians. Ottawa is in the midst of a national security review of TikTok.

Testifying before the public inquiry investigating foreign interference in Canada's democracy last Thursday, NDP national director Lucy Watson said she wasn't aware at the time that the NDP was back on TikTok.

"The very fact that I didn't know that we had reactivated our TikTok account is reflective of my non-use of TikTok," Watson told the inquiry.

Eight million Canadians, including three quarters of Canadian voters under 25, are on TikTok, making it a powerful platform for engaging with younger voters.

Most parties and politicians stopped using the app after the federal government banned it from all official government devices in February 2023. The government said TikTok's data collection methods could lead to cyber attacks.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh was a prolific user of the app prior to the ban.

Watson told the inquiry the NDP consulted with cyber security experts before reactivating its party TikTok account.

The NDP installed the app on a phone that isn't used for any other purpose, and the phone is left in the same spot with all location features disabled, she testified.

"We've been assured that that will guard against the possibility of foreign interference," she said.

The federal Liberals said in March they had ordered a national security review of TikTok in September 2023.

A spokesperson for Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne told CBC News Wednesday the TikTok review is still underway, but would not provide a timeline for its completion.

The inquiry heard earlier this month from NDP member of Parliament Jenny Kwan, herself a target of foreign interference by China. She said she doesn't know how effective the government's TikTok ban can be, since it does not extend to personal devices.

"In her opinion, by engaging with the platform, Canadian politicians are providing TikTok with relevant data points and legitimizing a 'brainwashing machine' used to push PRC [People's Republic of China] narratives on a variety of subjects," Kwan's inquiry witness statement says.

Top secret CSIS note details major concerns with TikTok

According to a top secret briefing note drafted by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and made public through the inquiry, CSIS warned in December 2022 that TikTok could be exploited by the Chinese government to bolster its influence and power in Canada.

The app, which is owned by the Chinese-based company ByteDance, can gather sensitive user data, CSIS said in the briefing note.

"Despite assurances to the contrary, personal data on TikTok users is accessible to China," CSIS said.

The app collects a wide range of user information, including biometric data like facial geometry, iris scans, voice patterns and fingerprints. TikTok also gathers information from a person's phone, including GPS location, browsing history and technical specifics like the device's serial number, CSIS said.

"While ByteDance claims that all TikTok user data is stored in the United States and Singapore— not in China — ByteDance's servers are all located in China," CSIS wrote.

CSIS also said TikTok censored topics related to democratic values and failed to remove 90 per cent of disinformation ads about the 2022 U.S. midterm elections.

TikTok did not answer CBC News' request for comment.

"There's clearly some concerns around TikTok," Mike Crase, executive director of the Conservative Party, told the inquiry.

The Conservatives don't have an official TikTok account due to the security issues, but the party doesn't stop candidates from using it, Crase said.

"I haven't seen anything that says specifically, 'No TikTok,' but I don't believe any of our candidates have TikTok," he said.

The Liberal Party told CBC News it also does not have an official TikTok account. A spokesperson would not answer questions about whether it allows Liberal staff, MPs and candidates to use the app on their personal devices.

At least one Liberal MP is publicly on TikTok. Nate Erskine-Smith has an official TikTok account; he told CBC this spring the account is run by a staff member in his office via his personal phone.

Top officials with Canada's cyber intelligence agency, the Communications Security Establishment, will testify Thursday at the public inquiry in Ottawa. CSIS officials are set to appear on Friday.