Canada’s privacy commissioner announced Thursday that it has launched an investigation into TikTok with the aim of establishing its compliance with Canadian law, at a time when the Chinese social network is under increasing surveillance by Westerners. This information comes a few hours after the European Commission prohibited this application to its staff to “protect” the institution.
Its purpose is to establish “whether the organization’s practices comply with Canadian privacy laws.” The regulator highlights that many users of the social network “are among the youngest”, pointing out “the importance of protecting children’s privacy.”
The investigation also aims to “ensure that the company complies with its transparency obligations.”
The social network under pressure
The Chinese social network has come under increasing scrutiny from Westerners amid fears that Beijing could access user data around the world.
Owned by the Chinese giant ByteDance, TikTok is in the crosshairs of the US authorities. A law signed into law in January by President Joe Biden prohibits the use of the popular video-sharing platform in the House of Representatives and the Senate, as well as on the devices of public servants.
Relations between China and Canada have deteriorated dramatically in recent years, particularly after Canada’s arrest at the request of the United States of Huawei’s chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, in 2018.
Source: BFM TV
