City of Hamilton bans TikTok on work phones pending federal probe

The City of Hamilton is the latest level of government across the country to ban the use of TikTok on work phones due to potential security risks.

The city’s communications TikTok account will also go unused as staff await the result of an investigation by the Federal Office of the Privacy Commissioner, according to a release sent to council Friday.

Provincial and federal privacy watchdogs recently announced a probe into whether TikTok complies with Canadian privacy legislation.

The City of Hamilton’s decision follows the same move by the federal government and several provinces, including Saskatchewan, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Alberta, Quebec and British Columbia.

Ontario is still allowing TikTok to be used on government-issued devices but says it is reviewing the matter.

READ MORE: Ontario also considers TikTok ban on government-issued devices

The United States also announced Monday that all government agencies have 30 days to delete TikTok from federal devices and systems. Many other countries have followed suit, including Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Taiwan and the European Union.

The Chinese government has a stake in TikTok’s owner, ByteDance, and Chinese laws allow the country to demand access to user data.

The company that owns TikTok maintains that it does not share data with China’s government and its data is not held in that country.

The City of Hamilton launched a communications TikTok account on Jan. 25.

Its decision to no longer use the app was made in consultation with the city’s IT department, social media team and senior leadership.

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