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On Monday, the White House gave government agencies 30 days to ensure that there is no TikTok application on any of the federal government's devices or systems.

It would be required to amend IT contracts to ensure that contractors protect US data by stopping TikTok from being used on devices and systems used in their framework, Shalanda Young, director of the Government Agency's Office of Management and Budget, said in a guidance note seen by Reuters.

On Monday, the Canadian government banned the TikTok app on all of its phones and devices, citing data protection concerns.

And the TikTok application, owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, has been under the microscope of the West for months due to concerns about the extent of Beijing's access to user data.

A government statement said that starting Tuesday, "the TikTok application will be removed from government-granted mobile devices. Users of these devices will also be prevented from downloading the application in the future."

The government added that Canada's chief communications officer "has determined that (the app) presents an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security."

Although there is no evidence of government data breaches associated with the app, the Canadian government has warned that "TikTok's data collection methods allow widespread access to phone contents."

Last week, the European Commission banned the application on its devices, after similar steps in the United States.

A TikTok spokesperson was surprised by the Canadian decision to ban the app, saying it was taken "without mentioning any specific security concerns" or consulting with the company.

Relations between China and Canada have deteriorated sharply in recent years, especially after Ottawa's arrest, at the request of the US judiciary, of a senior Huawei official in 2018, and China's response to the move by arresting two Canadian citizens.

Last week, Canada's Privacy Commissioner opened an investigation targeting TikTok over the collection and use of users' personal information.

afp