Why did Canada ban TikTok for some — and is it time to uninstall yourself?

The clock could be ticking down on the popular, Chinese-owned social media platform in the West after Canada announced a TikTok ban on all government devices Monday. Given the app's security vulnerabilities, some experts say the move was inevitable.

The decision, taken as a precaution" out of cybersecurity concerns, according to a government spokesperson, mirrors similar regulations unveiled by the U.S and E.U. in recent weeks.

Canada's Treasury Board President Mona Fortier ruled Monday that, starting Tuesday, TikTok will be deleted from all government-issued devices and that methods of downloading the app will be blocked on the phones.

Following a review of TikTok, the Chief Information Officer of Canada determined that it presents an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security," Fortier said in a public statement Monday. ...On a mobile device, TikTok's data collection methods provide considerable access to the contents of the phone."

Hours later, both Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh agreed to take a hiatus from the app - a blow for the two social-media savvy politicians who have accrued a combined audience of over a million followers on the platform.

Quebec has since followed the federal lead, banning TikTok from all government devices starting Tuesday

Is TikTok bad?

For Brett Caraway, an associate professor at the University of Toronto's Institute of Communication, Culture, Information and Technology, a TikTok ban was almost inevitable given the app's egregious" stance on data harvesting, even compared to the likes of Facebook and Twitter.

For example, clauses in the app's end user license agreement - which everyone must sign before use - allows TikTok to track personal data including passwords, dates of birth, email addresses, contact lists and activity across other apps that Caraway says doesn't have anything to do with the underlying functionality of TikTok itself."

Then there's the matter of TikTok's ownership by Chinese multinational company ByteDance, headquartered in Beijing. Although ByteDance has denied its connection to the Chinese government in the past, a recent report by cybersecurity firm Internet 2.0 found evidence that Chinese authorities actually can and have accessed users' device data whenever they wanted.

Additionally, TikTok's privacy policy admits to sharing user data not only with third party app developers - as most if not all social media platforms do - but also with law enforcement agencies, public authorities or other organizations if legally required to do so."

That's basically another way of saying the Chinese Communist Party," Caraway said - the policy is in accordance with China's national security laws, which requires Chinese companies to share access to data they collect with the government upon request.

That has got a lot of people rightfully very nervous."

Why did Canada ban TikTok?

According to Scott Bardsley, a spokesperson for Fortier's office, TikTok was suspended because it presents an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security.

Our decision was taken as a precaution, particularly given concerns about the legal regime that governs the information collected, as well as the the level of access provided to contents of the phone through the mobile app," he continued.

Bardsley told the Star that Canada has followed the footsteps of similar bans taking place in the U.S. and E.U. and that our moves are consistent with the approach of our international partners."

That said, Fortier confirmed Monday that we have no evidence at this point that government information has been compromised."

In a statement to the Star, a spokesperson for TikTok said the Canadian government did not cite specific security concerns or contact the company with questions.

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," they said. All it does is prevent officials from reaching the public on a platform loved by millions of Canadians."

Daniel Tsai, a lecturer on law and technology at U of T and Toronto Metropolitan University, recognized TikTok as a potential threat to national security but wondered whether the move was related to recent revelations around Chinese interference in Canada's 2021 election.

The Canadian government wants to show that they're doing something," Tsai said. And if they're not going to do an inquiry into election interference, at least they should look like they're doing something when it comes to potential national security risks, in terms of using federal government devices."

Who is banned from TikTok in Canada?

As of now, Federal and Quebec government employees are banned only from using TikTok on their government-issued phones; they can still access the app on their personal devices.

That said, certain political parties are enacting their own rules for the app; according to Bardsley, Liberal party caucus members have been asked to delete the app from all mobile devices and to suspend their related accounts.

While the government says use of TikTok for everyone else remains a personal choice, the Canadian Center for Cybersecurity strongly recommends" users to research and understand the risks of all social media before use.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also told reporters he hoped the move would convince Canadians to reflect on the security of their own data and perhaps make choices in consequence.

I'm always a fan of giving Canadians the information for them to make the right decisions for them."

Meanwhile, Jordan Foster, a researcher of TikTok and a doctoral student at U of T, believes workers and industries who deal with sensitive information like trade secrets - or activists advocating against China or for certain causes - should seriously reconsider their relationship not just with TikTok, but all social media.

Should I talk to my kids about TikTok?

There's also the question of app's teen audience, one of its largest demographics. According to a 2022 PEW Research poll, roughly 67 per cent of North American teens say they use TikTok, with 16 per cent saying they use it almost constantly. Additional research found teens aged 13 to 17 make up about 27 per cent of TikTok's audience.

Given the app's profound influence on our youth, Carraway strongly recommends parents talk to their kids about the risks surrounding TikTok and other social media. He also questioned whether minors can provide meaningful consent for the mining of their data, and said it's an issue the government must contemplate further"

Foster agreed, adding that: I think that it's wise to suggest (a TikTok ban on government devices) is a first step and not the last step." In the future, she could see a total ban of the app - or at least more regulatory measures to stem the collection of user data.

Should I delete TikTok?

If you value your privacy or deal with sensitive information, Carraway says the best move would be to delete the app. Even if you don't have an account or scroll the feed, TikTok can still track your activity as long as you agreed to its contract.

If you do have to use TikTok, Carraway recommended to always just assume that that data is public, whatever it is."

Otherwise, he strongly recommends people to read the end user license agreement of any app instead of blindly hitting accept. If you did hit accept, you can always ask your phone what permissions individual apps have and revoke their access.

If you plan on using TikTok but want to protect your data where possible, Foster recommends sticking to browsing others content.

There's certainly more data to be mined if you are someone who is producing content."

Foster also said it's wise to avoid the app's in-house messenger, and to not upload any content to the platform even if you don't intend on publishing it. However, all this comes down to someone's personal preferences.

It really comes down to the question of your position, the work you do, who do you work for?" said Tsai. And do you really want to put your personal, corporate or official business potentially at risk?"

Kevin Jiang is a Toronto-based staff reporter for the Star's Express Desk. Follow him on Twitter: @crudelykevin