TikTok banned on work devices for Sask. government employees

The Saskatchewan Government is banning TikTok from all government-owned devices, pending the results of a federal threat assessment.

The federal government and other provinces have already done the same.

The decision came after a review by the chief information officer of Canada.

The ban will apply to all ministries, crowns and agencies, and the government caucus.

Canada’s federal privacy watchdog also announced on Thursday that it is launching a joint investigation into TikTok with three provincial counterparts.

The investigation, the privacy commissioner’s office said, will dig into whether TikTok’s practices are “in compliance” with Canadian privacy legislation and whether “meaningful consent is being obtained for the collection, use and disclosure of personal information.”

Of particular concern to the watchdogs is the privacy of the younger Canadians, who dominate the use of the application in the country.

Saskatchewan is still consulting with the provincial privacy commissioner on the next steps.

— with files from Global News’ Rachel Gilmore