The Government of Canada bans TikTok on its members’ phones. Brussels and Washington have decided the same thing. Elsewhere in the West, mistrust is growing. And in France ?
The exclusion movement of TikTok is growing. This time, it is Canada that has just announced the ban on using the famous mobile application on government smartphones, in the name of national security. Ottawa’s decision was made on February 27, 2023, reports NPR. The decision does not affect consumer phones, which still have access to TikTok.
Commenting on the new instructions from authorities, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hoped the move would inspire individuals as well as businesses, prompting them to think about their data security and consider uninstalling the app. ” I am always in favor of giving Canadians the information they need to make the right decisions for them. “, Slipped the head of government.
The European Commission and Washington on the same wavelength
The decision taken by Ottawa joins that, identical, of Washington and Brussels to exclude TikTok from the telephones used within the institutions, because of the continuous suspicions gravitating around the app. The decision taken by the European Commission was taken in February. In the United States, the banishment from government apparatuses has been enacted in December 2022.
The sidelining of TikTok must also be seen in the context of the dynamic of relations between Ottawa and Beijing, which have distended and refreshed in recent years. Files, such as the arrest of Huawei’s financial director in Canada and the exclusion of the Chinese equipment manufacturer from the local 5G network, have poisoned bilateral relations.
TikTok, a Chinese app, is suspected of serving China’s interests. The software is accused of being a possible Trojan horse for espionage operations, but also of being a vector of disinformation and illicit content. It would also be a lever of influence for Beijing and a gateway to the personal data of Internet users.
These reproaches are regularly rejected by TikTok, obviously without success. After Washington, Brussels and Ottawa, the movement of exclusion seems to be developing in the world, particularly in the West. Estonia and Finland have taken similar decisions, reports journalist Laura Kayali, who reviewed the situation from several Member States.
A few other countries follow an intermediate position: in Belgium, the intelligence services call for caution for the time being; in Germany, it is case by case, according to the ministries (ban in Defense, blocking on the network of the Interior). In the Nederlands et in Denmarkwe are heading towards a ban in Parliament.
And in France ? Journalist Laura Kayali surveyed several power centers and institutions. However, no public decision seems to have been taken: the Élysée and the Ministry of the Armed Forces continue to analyze the risks and reflect on the place of social networks. As for the National Commission for Computing and Liberties and the National Agency for the Security of Information Systems, which ensures the cyber-security of the State? No specific comment to make.
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