![](https://media-cdn.socastsrm.com/wordpress/wp-content/blogs.dir/2120/files/2020/11/Philip-Lawrence-Headshot.jpg)
Photo Credit: Office of Northumberland-Peterborough South MP Philip Lawrence
With the recent wave of governments at all levels making the move to ban TikTok from government devices, we spoke with Northumberland/Peterborough South MP Philip Lawrence about it.
We asked him if he was using TikTok.
The federal and provincial governments, along with a growing list of municipal governments, have made the move to ban TikTok on all government devices. There is a growing concern about the information being collected by the Chinese developed social media app.
Lawrence said a foreign government accessing information in this way could be harmful to Canada as a country.
With calls to the Trudeau government to release any documents related to a recent accusation that Chinese diplomats were making moves to potentially interfere with two election candidates, we asked Lawrence if Canadians should be concerned about China’s influence on both the country’s politics and its citizens.
He said we need to take the situation seriously.
He went on to say that he supports the ban on government devices, noting that it’s a serious concern that both government and private entities could potentially be spying on Canadians through apps like TikTok.
When asked if Northumberland residents should also consider deleting TikTok off their own personal phones, he said it’s up to everyone to make the right decision for themselves but to also make sure they know what is happening with their information when they use the app.
Written by Lee McConnell