Canada has banned apps from Chinese and Russian companies on government-issued mobile devices. It said that the move is due to privacy and security risks that these software pose.
The ban was announced on Monday (October 30) after an assessment by Canada’s chief information officer. According to the Treasury Board of Canada, which oversees public administration, Tencent-owned WeChat and applications made by Moscow-based Kaspersky “present an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security”.
According to news agency Reuters, the Treasury Board also said it has no evidence that government information has been compromised, however, it points fingers at the collection methods of the apps that provide considerable access to a device’s contents, and the risks of using them were “clear.”
“The decision to remove and block the WeChat and the Kaspersky applications was made to ensure that government of Canada networks and data remain secure and protected and are in line with the approach of our international partners,” it said.
What China, Kaspersky have to say
At the time of writing, WeChat did not respond to the ban but China’s foreign ministry said Canada had issued a ban on Chinese enterprises without any real evidence. It added that the ban is under the guise of maintaining data security, which is a typical generalisation of the concept of national security.
“We hope that the Canadian side will discard ideological prejudices, abide by the principles of market economy and provide a fair, just and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese enterprises,” spokesperson Wang Wenbin was quoted as saying.
Meanwhile, Kaspersky said it was surprised and disappointed by the ban. It added that the decision was made without warning or an opportunity for the firm to address the government’s concerns.
“As there has been no evidence or due process to otherwise justify these actions, they are highly unsupported and a response to the geopolitical climate rather than a comprehensive evaluation of the integrity of Kaspersky’s products and services,” the company said.
Canada removed the apps from government-issued mobile devices, and users will be blocked from downloading them in the future.
The ban was announced on Monday (October 30) after an assessment by Canada’s chief information officer. According to the Treasury Board of Canada, which oversees public administration, Tencent-owned WeChat and applications made by Moscow-based Kaspersky “present an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security”.
According to news agency Reuters, the Treasury Board also said it has no evidence that government information has been compromised, however, it points fingers at the collection methods of the apps that provide considerable access to a device’s contents, and the risks of using them were “clear.”
“The decision to remove and block the WeChat and the Kaspersky applications was made to ensure that government of Canada networks and data remain secure and protected and are in line with the approach of our international partners,” it said.
What China, Kaspersky have to say
At the time of writing, WeChat did not respond to the ban but China’s foreign ministry said Canada had issued a ban on Chinese enterprises without any real evidence. It added that the ban is under the guise of maintaining data security, which is a typical generalisation of the concept of national security.
“We hope that the Canadian side will discard ideological prejudices, abide by the principles of market economy and provide a fair, just and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese enterprises,” spokesperson Wang Wenbin was quoted as saying.
Meanwhile, Kaspersky said it was surprised and disappointed by the ban. It added that the decision was made without warning or an opportunity for the firm to address the government’s concerns.
“As there has been no evidence or due process to otherwise justify these actions, they are highly unsupported and a response to the geopolitical climate rather than a comprehensive evaluation of the integrity of Kaspersky’s products and services,” the company said.
Canada removed the apps from government-issued mobile devices, and users will be blocked from downloading them in the future.