The Canadian government has announced a complete ban on the use of the Chinese-owned messaging and social media app WeChat across all government devices. This ban is effective immediately, as of October 31, 2023.
WeChat, which is owned by the Chinese company Tencent, is an enormously popular “super app” in China that combines features like messaging, social media, e-commerce, payments, and more all in one platform. However, Western intelligence agencies have repeatedly expressed concerns that the Chinese government could exploit WeChat to spy on users and collect data.
According to Canada’s Treasury Board President Anita Anand, the decision to ban WeChat is part of the government’s “risk-based approach to cybersecurity.” She stressed that there is currently no evidence that any sensitive Canadian government information has actually been compromised through the use of WeChat. However, the ban represents a precautionary measure.
In addition to banning WeChat, Canada will also be removing all products created by Russia-based cybersecurity firm Kaspersky from government devices over similar espionage concerns.
While apps like TikTok have faced heavy public scrutiny in recent years over potential data privacy and national security risks, experts believe WeChat could pose an even greater threat than TikTok given its wide range of functions as a “super app.” However, WeChat has not faced the same level of backlash in Western countries like Canada since it is not used nearly as widely among government employees as it is in China.
The Chinese company Tencent, which owns WeChat, has not yet provided any public comment or statement in response to the Canadian government’s ban of its app. This ban represents the latest escalation of tensions between the Western democracies and Chinese technology companies over cybersecurity and data privacy concerns.
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