Ontario reviewing whether to ban TikTok on government devices

Ontario is reviewing whether it will follow the federal government’s lead and ban TikTok on government-issued mobile devices.

A spokesperson for the Premier's Office confirmed to CTV News Toronto it is looking into the decision on Tuesday morning.

The federal government confirmed Monday it would be removing and blocking the video streaming platform from its devices as a security measure.

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In a note obtained by CTV News, officials noted that “a review of the mobile application’s behaviour…found that TikTok’s data collection methods may leave users vulnerable to cyber attacks.”

President of the Treasury Board Mona Fortier said the decision was made as a precaution.

"On a mobile device, TikTok's data collection methods provide considerable access to the contents of the phone," Fortier said in a statement to CTV News.

"While the risks of using this application are clear, we have no evidence at this point that government information has been compromised."

The China-owned social media company, for its part, released a statement Monday calling the decision “curious,” adding the government did not contact them 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,” a spokesperson said.

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

Quebec has already committed to banning the installation and use of TikTok on government mobile devices. The province’s minister of cybersecurity and digital said that while there is no evidence of a foreign country spying through the application, security remains a top priority.

It is unclear when Ontario will make a decision on the use of the app.

NDP Leader Marit Stiles said she had no concerns with banning the app. She said that if the government prohibited use of TikTok on its phones the NDP caucus would follow suite.

“I will definitely look to see what the experts are recommending in terms of safety and privacy.”

Meanwhile the Liberal caucus is set to have a discussion about the use of the app on its member’s devices Tuesday.

“I think we have to be very conscious of social media and if there are risks to our security,” interim party Leader John Fraser said. “With all the things that are going on right now we have to be conscious of who has access to our devices, and who we're allowing to have access to our devices.”

Fraser said he believes the caucus will make a decision sometime on Tuesday.

Both the United States and the European Union recently banned government workers from using TikTok on work devices.

With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Michael Woods