WeChat and Kaspersky Face Ban on Canada’s Government Mobiles
Recently, the Canadian government announced a prohibition on the installation of the Chinese messaging app WeChat and products from Russia’s Kaspersky Lab on government devices, citing potential privacy and security risks. Canada’s Chief Information Officer emphasized that, at the time of the decision, there were no recorded instances of governmental information being compromised.
The Canadian Ministry of Finance underscored in a statement that applications owned by the Chinese company Tencent (WeChat) and those developed by Moscow’s Kaspersky Lab present an “unacceptable level of risk” to privacy and security. In retaliation, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its dissent, asserting that the Canadian government has restricted the operations of Chinese companies without presenting any compelling evidence. The Chinese side believes such actions constitute an abuse of power and unwarranted suppression of business in specific countries.
China’s official spokesperson, Wang Wenbin, urged Canada to abandon its ideological biases, adhere to market economy principles, and ensure a fair, just, and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese companies.
Kaspersky Lab, for its part, conveyed its surprise and disappointment regarding the decision. The company highlighted that no evidence was presented or appropriate legal proceedings undertaken to justify these actions. They believe the current ban reflects the Canadian government’s reaction to geopolitical dynamics rather than a thorough assessment of the company’s products and services’ reliability.
It is reported that the banned applications were to be removed from state mobile devices by October 30th, and future downloads by users will be forbidden.
