Canada’s intelligence chief warns people not to use TikTok

08:57 18/05/2024

2 minutes of reading

Canada’s security agency is trying to prevent people from using TikTok, saying their data is “accessible” to the Chinese government.

Canada's intelligence chief warns people not to use TikTok - Techlade

In an interview with CBC News scheduled to air on Saturday, David Vigneault, director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, said “the Chinese government has a very clear strategy for collecting personal information from around the world.”

Mr. Vigneault added that they are using big data analysis technology, with powerful computer systems to process information, and develop artificial intelligence based on these data.

The US government is focusing on the Chinese government’s ability to access user data to regulate and possibly even ban the TikTok app. In April, the US Congress passed a bill requiring TikTok to separate from its Beijing parent company, ByteDance, or face a ban. In May, TikTok sued the US government over this law, arguing that the ban violated the constitution.

TikTok once asserted that Chinese employees cannot view US and European user data. To demonstrate, they carried out two large projects: Project Texas in the US and Project Clover in Europe, aiming to separate user data from China. According to the statement, US user data is securely stored in Oracle’s cloud infrastructure, with only Americans allowed to access it. However, a recent report from Fortune questions the effectiveness of these protections, saying they are only “appearance-based.”

TikTok spokesperson Danielle Morgan told Techlade that the allegations are unsubstantiated and that in fact TikTok has never shared Canadian user data with the Chinese government, and would not do so even if when requested.

Share this article:

Keywords:

Comment (0)

Related articles

REGISTER

TODAY

Sign up to get the inside scoop on today's biggest stories in markets, technology delivered daily.

    By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You can opt out at any time.