The director of Canada’s Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), David Vigneault, has issued a warning about the video app TikTok, highlighting concerns that user data could be accessed by the Chinese government.
Speaking to CBC News, Vigneault stated, “As the director of CSIS, I see a deliberate strategy by the Chinese government to collect personal information globally.”
In response, a TikTok spokesperson contested these claims, stating, “There is no evidence supporting these claims, and TikTok has never shared Canadian user data with the Chinese government, nor would it do so if requested.”
Despite these concerns, CSIS’s annual report does not specifically mention TikTok as a risk, though it does note other platforms that foreign entities have used to target Canadians.
Highlighting the focus on TikTok, Vigneault mentioned that he would participate in a national security review of TikTok’s proposal to expand its operations in Canada, as reported by CBC.
In a related development, TikTok and its parent company ByteDance have initiated legal action in a U.S. federal court to challenge a law recently signed by President Joe Biden. The law mandates ByteDance to divest TikTok by January 19 or face a ban, though the White House prefers ending Chinese-based ownership rather than banning the app outright.
