Jagmeet Singh will deactivate TikTok account in response to security, privacy concerns

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said Tuesday he'll deactivate his TikTok account in response to security concerns government officials have raised about the popular social media platform.

Singh has nearly 879,000 followers on TikTok.Singh said his party plans to deactivate the account by the end of the day Tuesday.

He said he's not worried the move will cost him political support in spite of his large following on the popular video-sharing platform.

Singh addedthe move isa "pause" and left open the possibility of reactivatingthe account.

"I have no concern at all about taking a step back from a social media platform when there are serious concerns around security, around data and privacy, not just for myself and for my own device, but the people that interact with me," Singh tolda news conference.

"So taking a pause to assess how we can do it safely is something that I feel very comfortable doing, and I have no hesitation to do."

WATCH |Singh confirms he will suspend TikTok account:

Singh confirms he will suspend TikTok account

1 year ago

Duration 0:26

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says his caucus will follow House rules and remove the app from their government issued devices.

On Monday, Treasury Board President Mona Fortier announced the federal government would remove and block TikTok from all government-issued work devices. The ban came following a review from Canada's chief information officer which "determined that [TikTok]presents an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security," Fortier said in a news release.

Scott Bardsley, a spokesperson for Fortier's office, said in an email to CBC that Liberal caucus members have been instructed to remove TikTok from all mobile devices and suspend their accounts.

The Quebec and British Columbia governments also have announced TikTok bansforgovernment-issued phones.

TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, is based in Beijing. Several governments around the world have recently announced full or partial TikTok bans forwork devices, including the United States and the executive branch of the European Union. TikTok insists it does not posea security or privacy risk to itsusers.

Singh saidMondaythe party would removethe TikTok app from government devices.

Singh said Tuesday hewould consult with digital and cyber security experts before making a decision about reactivating his account.

TheUnited States Congress is debating a bill that would banTikTokacross the U.S. Singh saidthe Canadiangovernment may eventually need to ban the platform across the country.

"If it turns out that it's a serious threat to Canadians and a serious threat to our country, then we've got to take the appropriate steps," Singh said.

House of Commons bansTikTok, Bloc deletes account

A spokesperson for the Speaker of the House of Commons saidHouse of Commons administration has directed all users of House-issued devices to remove the TikTok app by March 3.

"Any devices that continue to have the application installed at that time will no longer be able to access parliamentary infrastructure or internal digital services,"Amlie Crossonsaid in an email.

Crosson added that failure to remove the app would be a breach of House of Commons information technology policies.

In a tweet Tuesday, theBloc Qubcoissaid party MPs and staff would comply and removeTikTok from their parliamentarydevices.

The tweet addedthat the Blochasdeleted the party'sTikTokaccount.

WATCH | Any social media app can be a privacy risk, experts say:

TikTok bans grow amid privacy concerns

1 year ago

Duration 2:11

The number of governments and organizations banning TikTok is expanding in Canada, with the government of Quebec and the Bank of Canada the latest to bar the app over concerns about data security. That is making many individual users question their own use of the app.

A Conservative Party spokesperson said Monday that leader Pierre Poilievreand Conservative Party MPs would suspend their TikTok accounts.

Late Tuesday, the Senate issued a press release stating that all senators and staff membersmust remove the app from their work devices. The decision was made by the members of the upper chamber's internal economy and administration committee.

A Bank of Canada spokesperson said the central bank is also blocking TikTok on employees' work devices.