Canadian citizens have been issued warnings related to using the Chinese application, TikTok, by the head of the Security Intelligence Service of Canada.
CBC News on Friday reported that the organization has said that the data of the Canadian users is made available to the government of China.
David Vigneault, the director of CSIS, told CBC on Saturday in an interview that, “My answer as director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) is that there is a very clear strategy on the part of the government of China to be able to acquire personal information from anyone around the world.”
When a TikTok spokesperson was asked for a comment, he stated, “These assertions are unsupported by evidence, and the fact is that TikTok has never shared Canadian user data with the Chinese government, nor would we if asked.”
In September 2023, the Canadian government ordered a national security review of TikTok’s proposal regarding expanding their business in the territory of Canada.
According to Times Now, David Vigneault has announced that he would be participating in the review process and will offer advice accordingly.
Moreover, the spokesperson added, “We will continue to engage with Canadian officials and would welcome the opportunity to meet with CSIS to discuss how we protect the privacy and security of Canadians.”
This month, in April 2024, ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, alongwith the latter with the intention of seeking to block a law signed by President Joe Biden, sued a new tab in U.S. federal court.
President Joe Biden’s signed law aims to ban Chinese video sharing apps or selling the application that is currently used by 170 million Americans.
On April 24, POTUS Joe Biden signed a law giving ByteDance an offer until Jan. 19 to either face a ban or sell the app.
The US’s White House has announced that they do not seek to ban TikTok, rather looking forward to the ownership of the short video sharing application, on the grounds of national security.
Also Read: Biggest Gold Heist In Canada: 2 Indo-Canadians Arrested, Brink’s Sues Air Canada
