China has accused the US of “suppressing” TikTok after ordering its removal from government-issued smartphones.
This follows similar moves from the European Union last week, and Canada earlier this week.
A spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry hit out at the move.
“We firmly oppose those wrong actions,” spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters.
“The US government should respect the principles of market economy and fair competition, stop suppressing the companies and provide an open, fair and non-discriminatory environment for foreign companies in the US.
“How unsure of itself can the world’s top superpower like the US be to fear young people’s favourite app like that.”
The US Federal Chief Information Security Officer Chris DeRusha called the ban part of the US Government’s “ongoing commitment to securing our digital infrastructure and protecting the American people’s security and privacy”.
Likewise, Canada’s chief information officer launched an investigation, and found the app “presents an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security” for the Canadian government.
Mona Fortier, the president of Canada’s Treasury Board, said it “is committed to keeping government information secure”.
“On a mobile device, TikTok’s data collection methods provide considerable access to the contents of the phone,” Fortier said.
“While the risks of using this application are clear, we have no evidence at this point that government information has been compromised.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the government ban might be sufficient: “This may the first step, this may be the only step we need to take.”
