Canada bans China’s WeChat and Russia’s Kaspersky apps on government devices

The ban was announced after an assessment that WeChat and Kaspersky ‘present an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security’

In February, Canada banned TikTok, owned by Chinese company Bytedance, from government-issued devices

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The WeChat app on a smartphone. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 1:31am, 31 Oct 2023Updated: 2:43am, 31 Oct 2023

Canada on Monday banned Chinese messaging app WeChat and Russian antivirus program Kaspersky on government-issued mobile devices due to privacy and security risks, but said government information had not been compromised.

The ban was announced after an assessment by Canada’s chief information officer that Tencent-owned WeChat and applications made by Moscow-based Kaspersky “present an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security,” the Treasury Board of Canada, which oversees public administration, said in a statement.

Kaspersky said it was surprised and disappointed, and that the decision was made without warning or an opportunity for the firm to address the government’s concerns.

“As there has been no evidence or due process to otherwise justify these actions, they are highly unsupported and a response to the geopolitical climate rather than a comprehensive evaluation of the integrity of Kaspersky’s products and services,” the company said in a statement.

WeChat did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Treasury Board said it has no evidence that government information has been compromised, but the apps posed “clear” risks.