After Canada announced it would ban the short-form video app TikTok on government-issued mobile devices, cybersecurity experts say the move highlights pre-existing concerns for the safety of Canadians' personal data.
While the federal government didn't say it will be adding further restrictions on the app for the general public, said "this may be a first step, it may be the only step we need to take, but every step of the way we鈥檙e going to be making sure that we鈥檙e keeping Canadians safe."
Cybersecurity expert Terry Cutler told 愛污传媒 Channel that Canadians can go about using the app at their own risk of their personal data being tracked, and while removing the app completely off their phones can be an option, there are concerns of its ties to other apps that TikTok can plug into to access users' personal data.
"There's so many ways that you can still be tracked online even without the TikTok app. The only other concern is that there's a lot of apps that plug into TikTok and vice versa, so they're still able to get information on you from other sources," Cutler said Tuesday.
Mona Fortier, President of the Treasury Board. said on Monday the decision was a cautionary move.
"The decision to remove and block TikTok from government mobile devices is being taken as a precaution, particularly given concerns about the legal regime that governs the information collected from mobile devices, and is in line with the approach of our international partners," she said in a statement.
Fortier also said while there is no evidence to indicate any government data has been compromised, there are still risks involved for users of the app and Canadians should be aware of this before committing to its use.
Other provinces are now looking into banning the app from their government like , who quickly followed suit banning the app on government devices on Tuesday.
In response, TikTok questioned why the federal government set the ban without providing specific concerns or contacting the social media company first, according to a company spokesperson.
"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. All it does is prevent officials from reaching the public on a platform loved by millions of Canadians," the spokesperson said.
According to , the app can access a user's personal data like date of birth, location, phone contact list, among other information. Aside from using this data to personalize its algorithm, it can also share it with other social networks like Google or Facebook. or to advertisers and other subsidiaries or affiliates with its corporate group.
Concerns of this data sharing, particularly with its Chinese parent company Bytedance, has been a main concern amid Canadian-Chinese tensions.
Rob Falzon, head of engineering at cybersecurity company Check Point, says TikTok has had , as research teams at Check Point found hackers could release private information by connecting a user's profile to phone numbers associated with the account, reveal personal information or upload unauthorized videos.
"I think there's a larger issue at play here that is not addressed by simply banning Tiktok," Falzon told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview on Tuesday. "And that is the issue of data protection and privacy laws in Canada in general."
Falzon says while he supports the ban on government-issued devices, there still needs to be more done to ensure Canadian's safety online, and not just with TikTok.
"We have to start asking ourselves if there should the people who create these apps hold that responsibility or should there be a sort of threshold that the government should implement this from a rules perspective to say, 'you need to meet these basic rules to be allowed to do business in Canada'?" he said.
Sharon Polsky, President of the Privacy and Access Council of Canada, says Canadian users should be more conscious about their online activity but it can be difficult to see it that way since so much of their daily activities have become so dependent on the use of technology, whether that's connecting with friends or shopping online.
"This is good to raise awareness, there are issues about websites, whether it's social media or retailers or just about any website, including medical and mental health websites that collect personal information, very, very sensitive personal information," she told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview on Tuesday.
Whether Canadians should continue to use the app should be completely up to them, she said, but that decision should include the education and tools to understand how their data is being used and how they can protect themselves.
Falzon says Canadians need to start asking more questions about whether or not the devices they use every day require personal details in order to function.
"If it's a device like a smart TV or smart coffee maker, do you need a smart coffee maker? Do you need the app that goes with the smart coffee maker?" he said. "Did your coffeemaker just ask you what your birthday was? Why? Why am I putting that information in there?"
Similar to how parents are recommended to keep watch of their children's online activity, Falzon says everyone should be taking care of themselves in the same way to determine how much personal information they want to expose on apps and devices.
Polsky says it doesn`t necessarily have to be about looking through every single privacy policy, but by searching for educational tools that can show them how they can adjust what personal data they want to share, and if they aren`t happy with the device or app`s privacy setting, not being afraid to question it.
"There are legitimate reliable sources of information that are not scams that people can educate themselves to know how to look at the features in their phone, or their desktop or their tablet and lock it down. How not to just accept whatever is presented to them, to question it," she said.
This story has been updated to reflect that the federal ban was put into effect shortly after an investigation by Canada鈥檚 privacy commissioner was undertaken.
U.S. forecasters are warning of destructive waves, devastating winds and flash floods through the week as Hurricane Milton makes its way from the Yucatan Peninsula toward Florida.
An American family doctor is frustrated with what she says has been a challenging two-year-and-counting bureaucratic journey to be accepted into Canada.
Emotions boiled over after a judge acquitted two out of three defendants in a manslaughter case, while the third accused has since died.
As U.S. regulators push for an investigation into what they call 'deadly baby and toddler products' from foreign e-commerce sites, health officials in Canada say they haven't determined whether any laws or regulations have been broken.
In his column for CTVNews.ca, former NDP leader Tom Mulcair argues that the dramatic side to Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, and his tendency to 'play everything to the hilt,' could well become his undoing.
Baby Boomers may be expected to live longer than their predecessors, but a recent study has found that they are more likely to suffer from worse health than previous generations.
A Toronto senior says she can鈥檛 believe that two roofers took advantage of her, despite knowing she was recently widowed and suffering from a painful disability.
A B.C. couple is getting desperate 鈥 and creative 鈥 in their search for their missing dog.
An elevator mechanic mistakenly threw out a piece of artwork, made to look like empty beer cans, assuming it was litter, a Dutch museum revealed earlier this month.
A Toronto senior says she can鈥檛 believe that two roofers took advantage of her, despite knowing she was recently widowed and suffering from a painful disability.
A Saskatoon mom is desperately fighting eviction after she discovered mould in her suite and reported it to her landlord.
Police arrested a man accused of setting an animal on fire in Orillia, Ont. last month.
The federal government announced 14 new properties will be added to the Canada Public Land Bank, the list of federal properties that could be turned into new homes, including seven in Ottawa and two in Gatineau, Que.
Former fashion mogul Peter Nygard has been denied bail as he appeals his sexual assault convictions in Toronto and an 11-year prison sentence.
A wildlife rescue in B.C. is caring for two orphaned bobcat kittens who have become as inseparable as 'real sisters' even though it's highly unlikely they are actually from the same litter.
A former New York City official was charged Tuesday with witness tampering and destroying evidence in a federal investigation that led to Mayor Eric Adams' bribery indictment. The arrest came amid yet more high-profile exits from Adams' administration.
Britain is facing a "staggering rise" in assassination attempts on U.K. soil by Russia and Iran, as the hostile states recruit criminals to "do their dirty work" for them, the head of the U.K.'s domestic intelligence agency said Tuesday.
A German court on Tuesday acquitted a man who is also under investigation in the 2007 disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann in a trial on charges of unrelated sexual offences.
A seasoned American meteorologist became emotional on air as he gave an update on a major hurricane, later suggesting the reason behind his strong reaction.
Kamala Harris called Donald Trump 'incredibly irresponsible' for spreading falsehoods about the federal response to Hurricane Helene's destruction, offering especially sharp words as a new storm bears down on Florida with just weeks until Election Day.
A World Health Organization official warned on Tuesday of disease outbreaks in Lebanon due to crowded conditions in displacement shelters and hospital closures as medics have fled Israel's assault.
A federal inquiry into foreign interference is slated to hear today from current and former officials of Public Safety Canada.
In his column for CTVNews.ca, former NDP leader Tom Mulcair argues that the dramatic side to Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, and his tendency to 'play everything to the hilt,' could well become his undoing.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is supporting Israel's right to defend itself against Iran following last week's ballistic missile attack, saying that right includes 'proactively striking Iranian nuclear sites and oil installations to defund the terrorist regime.'
The Ontario government has lowered the age for regular mammogram breast screening to allow all woman between the age of 40 and 49 to self-refer for the service.
An American family doctor is frustrated with what she says has been a challenging two-year-and-counting bureaucratic journey to be accepted into Canada.
AI scribe technology holds the promise of removing some of that burden. However, uptake in Canada has been low due to privacy and cost concerns.
A British-Canadian researcher has won the Nobel Prize in physics for work developing the foundations of machine learning and artificial intelligence. The University of Toronto's Geoffrey Hinton was awarded the prize Tuesday morning, along with Princeton University researcher John Hopfield.
The best minds in science will be thrust from academic obscurity into the spotlight this week when the Nobel Prizes in physics, chemistry, and physiology or medicine are announced. However, there is no shortage of Nobel-worthy discoveries: Here are five breakthroughs that haven't resulted in a life-changing call from Stockholm 鈥 at least not yet.
A spacecraft blasted off Monday to investigate the scene of a cosmic crash.
An elevator mechanic mistakenly threw out a piece of artwork, made to look like empty beer cans, assuming it was litter, a Dutch museum revealed earlier this month.
The "Star Trek" star, Chris Pine, has a new children's book out, titled "When Digz the Dog Met Zurl the Squirrel: A Short Tale About a Short Tail."
Cissy Houston, the mother of the late Whitney Houston and a two-time Grammy winner who performed alongside superstar musicians like Elvis Presley, and Aretha Franklin, has died. She was 91.
A new report from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce is sending a stark warning ahead of the U.S. presidential election, saying protectionist policies like Donald Trump's proposed tariffs could damage economies on both sides of the border.
Inflation and higher interest rates have eroded Canadians' purchasing power since 2022, particularly for lower-income households, a new report from the parliamentary budget officer has found.
A Toronto senior says she can鈥檛 believe that two roofers took advantage of her, despite knowing she was recently widowed and suffering from a painful disability.
When it comes to raising a child, the majority of fathers say they share tasks equally, but fewer mothers tend to say the same thing, according to a Statistics Canada survey.
Gerontologist Jay Olshansky is used to backlash about his views on human longevity. Decades ago he and his coauthors predicted children, on average, would live to only age 85 鈥 only 1 per cent to 5 per cent might survive until their 100th birthday.
'Eat more vegetables,' doctors and dietitians say over and over. But for many people, it鈥檚 hard to do, because they aren鈥檛 excited about veggies or just don鈥檛 like them.
New York Jets owner Woody Johnson made the stunning decision Tuesday to fire Saleh five games into his fourth season after the team's 2-3 start following a 23-17 loss to Minnesota in London on Sunday.
FIFA banned Italian soccer player Marco Curto for 10 games for making a discriminatory remark at South Korea forward Hee Chan Hwang in a preseason game between Como and Wolverhampton.
A former WWE employee who filed a lawsuit against the company and ex-leader Vince McMahon, accusing him of sexual battery and trafficking, is asking them to not enforce nondisclosure agreements with other former and current employees and contractors so they can potentially come forward with similar accusations.
New data from the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) shows that even though claims for auto theft dropped in the first half of 2024 compared to their 2023 peak, the rates of reported theft remain well above those of years prior.
Tesla is recalling more than 27,000 Cybertrucks because the rearview camera image may not activate immediately after shifting into reverse, the fifth recall for the vehicle since it went on sale late last year.
A Pickering, Ont., student going to college to be a mechanic is shocked the engine in his two-year-old car will not be repaired under warranty after the dealership claimed he had been 'over-revving' the engine.
A B.C. couple is getting desperate 鈥 and creative 鈥 in their search for their missing dog.
Videos of a meteor streaking across the skies of southern Ontario have surfaced and small bits of the outer space rock may have made it to land, one astronomy professor says.
A unique form of clouds made an appearance over the skies of Ottawa on Sunday evening.
Bernie Hicks, known as the 鈥楤atman of Amherst,鈥 always wanted to sit in a Batmobile until a kind stranger made it happen.
Bubi鈥檚 Awesome Eats, located on University Ave West took to social media to announce the closure on Friday.
Weeneebayko Area Health Authority and the Government of Ontario have awarded a $1.8 billion fixed-price contract to design, build and finance a new Far North hospital.
Manitobans are in cleanup mode after intense winds barreled through southern parts of the province this weekend.
Avry Wortman, 13, scored two touchdowns on Sunday during her team's win in the under 14 Greater Moncton Football Association.
A gargantuan gourd 鈥 affectionately named 鈥極rangina鈥 by the urban gardeners who grew it in the front yard of their Vancouver home 鈥 earned the massive honour of being named B.C.鈥檚 heaviest giant pumpkin Saturday.
Vancouver Fire Rescue Services were called to a blaze affecting multiple houses on the 1000 Block of East Pender St.
Western Forest Products Inc. says it is temporarily curtailing lumber production due to market challenges.
The leaders of B.C.'s three main political parties will be facing off Tuesday evening for their first and only televised debate ahead of the Oct. 19 election. Here's what viewers can expect.
A Toronto senior says she can鈥檛 believe that two roofers took advantage of her, despite knowing she was recently widowed and suffering from a painful disability.
The Ontario government has lowered the age for regular mammogram breast screening to allow all woman between the age of 40 and 49 to self-refer for the service.
Convenience stores in Ontario will soon be permitted to sell fortified wines like port and sherry, 愛污传媒 has learned.
Calgary police are investigating after several shots were fired in the northeast community of Saddle Ridge.
Calgary's police chief said a tribunal that looked into the conduct of Const. Mike Oakey evaluated all the evidence and made the determination he would not be fired or criminally charged.
A home in the southeast Calgary community of Deer Ridge was destroyed in a fire and while a woman and her children living there escaped safely, two of their pets perished.
An Ottawa man who stabbed his estranged wife to death in an attack that also injured his daughter in Ottawa's west end has been found guilty of first-degree murder and attempted murder.
The federal government announced 14 new properties will be added to the Canada Public Land Bank, the list of federal properties that could be turned into new homes, including seven in Ottawa and two in Gatineau, Que.
The aurora borealis was visible in Canada and the northern United States Monday night and Tuesday morning. Photos sent to CTV Ottawa and posted on social media showed the northern lights visible over Ottawa around 10 p.m. Monday and 1 a.m. Tuesday.
Quebec coroner G茅hane Kamel will preside over a public enquiry into the deaths of L茅onor Geraudie, 43, and her seven-year-old daughter V茅rane, who were killed in a fire in a heritage building in Old Montreal on Oct. 4 that also left two people injured.
Montreal police (SPVM) arrested a 15-year-old in connection with an alleged arson in Saint-Leonard that occurred on the weekend.
Swedish battery manufacturer Northvolt said on Tuesday that one of its entities had filed for bankruptcy with a Stockholm court due to its financial situation.
The upper ridge continues to dominate the weather pattern over Alberta.
Baby Boomers may be expected to live longer than their predecessors, but a recent study has found that they are more likely to suffer from worse health than previous generations.
Provincial ministers testified before the House of Commons on Monday, asking the federal government to pay for the cost of the Jasper wildfire.
Nova Scotia is creating an international medical graduate assessment centre to recruit and fast-track more internationally-trained physicians to work in the province and address the doctor shortage.
The price of diesel jumped nine cents overnight in Nova Scotia after the province鈥檚 Utility and Review Board (UARB) invoked its interrupter clause.
Former Liberal MP Andy Fillmore is still the frontrunner in the Halifax Regional Municipality mayoral race, but Waye Mason is gaining ground, according to one poll.
Manitoba health-care support workers will not be hitting the picket line on Tuesday morning.
Manitoba RCMP and the Winnipeg Police Service are launching a most-wanted website.
To get between Churchill, Manitoba, Canada -- the polar bear and beluga whale capital of the world and a tourist hot spot for northern adventure tourism -- and Winnipeg, Manitoba, there are only two options: A $1,100 one-way plane flight that takes two-and-a-half hours or a scenic 45-hour to 49-hour much cheaper train ride.
Those in Saskatchewan gazing at the stars Monday night were treated to a brilliant display of northern lights 鈥 as a solar storm continues to bear down on the northern hemisphere.
Regina resident Murray Yagelniski says a city-owned tree on his property is the root of the issue behind his basement flooding.
The Saskatchewan NDP says the province's troubled payment and scheduling system for healthcare is only half implemented and has costed taxpayers nearly triple its original price tag so far.
Fire crews were called to respond to Mohawk Plaza shortly before 2 a.m. Tuesday.
In September, 愛污传媒 Kitchener reported on Sandvine's deals with autocratic governments, including Egypt, where its tech reportedly helped inject spyware into the devices of government critics.
The penalty hearing for Guelph Police constable Corey McArthur has heard from two character witnesses, both supporting an eventual return to policing for the officer who has admitted to assaulting a teen who was handcuffed to a hospital bed.
A Saskatoon mom is desperately fighting eviction after she discovered mould in her suite and reported it to her landlord.
Saskatoon鈥檚 Prairie Harm Reduction (PHR) says a staff member arrived to work on Thursday morning to find someone at its doorstep, unresponsive from a suspected drug overdose.
Those in Saskatchewan gazing at the stars Monday night were treated to a brilliant display of northern lights 鈥 as a solar storm continues to bear down on the northern hemisphere.
A teacher working on a First Nation in northwestern Ontario has been charged with sexually assaulting a minor.
The North Bay Battalion hockey team is mourning the loss of a former player who died at 23 after a battle with cancer.
A Toronto senior says she can鈥檛 believe that two roofers took advantage of her, despite knowing she was recently widowed and suffering from a painful disability.
U.S. forecasters are warning of destructive waves, devastating winds and flash floods through the week as Hurricane Milton makes its way from the Yucatan Peninsula toward Florida.
A 20 year old is charged with two counts of fail or refusal to comply with demand made by peace officer cause bodily harm, two counts of dangerous operation causing bodily harm, two counts of impaired operation cause bodily harm and transport cannabis
Police in Woodstock have charged the driver of a black Volkswagen Jetta after it was seen leaving the scene of a crash. Around 5:20 p.m. on Monday, police were called to the scene of a two-vehicle crash at the intersection of Dundas Street and Waterloo Street.
Police arrested a man accused of setting an animal on fire in Orillia, Ont. last month.
One person was rescued after being trapped in a vehicle that was involved in a multi-car crash in Orillia late Monday afternoon.
The fate of a Barrie man charged with the death of a young mother 30 years ago now rests in the hands of a jury.
Essex County OPP say a 17-year-old Leamington driver was caught going 101 kilometres per hour over the posted speed limit.
Delays are to be expected Tuesday morning after a crash in Essex County. According to OPP, the crash happened at Walker Road and Highway 3 in Tecumseh.
The Essex Region Conservation Authority (ERCA) is inviting visitors to become 鈥渃itizen scientists鈥, inviting them to help monitor shoreline erosion.
The leaders of B.C.'s three main political parties will be facing off Tuesday evening for their first and only televised debate ahead of the Oct. 19 election. Here's what viewers can expect.
Western Forest Products Inc. says it is temporarily curtailing lumber production due to market challenges.
Major crime investigators have been called to the scene of a suspected homicide in the northern Vancouver Island community of Port Hardy.
Nearly two years after a man was stabbed to death in downtown Kelowna, RCMP have made an arrest in the case.
NDP Leader David Eby is promising to offer a $75-million loan forgiveness program to entice doctors, nurses and heath professionals to expand health-care services in rural British Columbia.
Three young suspects have been arrested in connection with a swarming attack on a teenager in B.C.'s Okanagan last week 鈥 and authorities have asked the public to stop circulating disturbing videos of the incident.
A Lethbridge police officer involved in a scandal involving former Lethbridge New Democrat MLA Shannon Phillips has been reprimanded.
Lethbridge police say a man who escaped from a psychiatric ward at the Chinook Regional Hospital has been found.
While the summer may be over, construction season in Lethbridge is not.
A woman in Greater Sudbury, Ont., said "It doesn't get more Canadian than this" when she spotted a black bear dumpster diving at a Tim Horton's last month.
The Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities (FONOM) is the latest organization to call on the Doug Ford government to re-open dialogue with an airline service that transports lower-income Canadians to crucial medical care far from home.
For decades, Mississauga First Nation has known that human remains from their land were at the Canadian Museum of History.
As millions in federal funding flow into a Labrador group whose claims of Inuit identity have been rejected by Indigenous organizations across Canada, a national Inuit leader worries the Liberal government is putting the rights of Indigenous Peoples at risk.
He may not have logged the fastest time or even gone the full distance, but residents of a Newfoundland town agree the goat who unexpectedly joined the local weekend half marathon was the event's undisputed champion.
A mother in a community where the cost of living is one of the highest in the country says grocery prices are 'inhumane' and retailers are putting profits ahead of people鈥檚 basic human right to food.
The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at 愛污传媒. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop.聽Read about us.
