No decision yet on TikTok use for Sask. government employees

The Government of Saskatchewan says it has not yet made a decision on the use of TikTok on government mobile devices.

In an emailed statement, the provincial government said it is “aware of the decision by the federal government and the forthcoming threat assessment.”

As of Tuesday, the popular social media app was banned from all federal government-owned devices due to ongoing privacy concerns with the app. Quebec followed suit, announcing a similar ban on Tuesday.

Last week, provincial and federal privacy watchdogs announced an investigation to delve into whether TikTok, which is owned by Chinese company ByteDance, complies with Canadian privacy legislation.

The decision follows a review by the chief information officer of Canada, who determined that TikTok “presents an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security.”

In the same statement, the Saskatchewan government said it is “consulting with the provincial Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner and the federal Chief Information Officer as work is underway to determine the appropriate course of action with regard to government-owned devices.”

— With files from The Canadian Press