Installation of Kaspersky and WeChat is prohibited on government terminals due to security concerns
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The Canadian government has announced that the Chinese messaging app ``WeChat'' and Russian antivirus software ``Kaspersky'' products pose privacy and security risks, and will ban their use on government-issued mobile devices.
Minister Anand announces a ban on the use of WeChat and Kaspersky suite of applications on government mobile devices - Canada.ca
https://www.canada.ca/en/treasury-board-secretariat/news/2023/10/minister-anand-announces-a-ban-on-the-use-of-wechat-and-kaspersky-suite- of-applications-on-government-mobile-devices.html
Canada bans WeChat, Kaspersky applications on government devices | Reuters
Canada bans WeChat and Kaspersky apps from government devices over security concerns | TechSpot
https://www.techspot.com/news/100680-canada-bans-wechat-kaspersky-apps-government-devices-over.html
After the Canadian government's chief information officer rated WeChat and Kaspersky products as ``posing an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security,'' the Treasury Board of Canada announced that both software should be placed on government-issued mobile phones. It is prohibited to use it on terminals. After this announcement, the software in question will be removed from devices, and downloads of the software will be blocked in the future.
'We have discovered that WeChat and Kaspersky access vast amounts of data when collecting data on mobile devices,' said Anita Anand, Chair of the Finance Committee. 'We have taken this decision to maintain this commitment and align with the approach of our international partners.'
The software is simply removed from government-issued devices, and whether or not the general public uses the software is a personal choice.
China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs objected to the Canadian government's announcement, saying, ``Under the pretext of maintaining data security, China has issued a ban on Chinese companies without any substantive evidence.'' He commented that the ban was an abuse of state power and unduly restrained the actions of companies in a particular country.
Kaspersky Lab also expressed its disappointment, saying, 'This decision came without prior warning and without an opportunity for us to address the government's concerns. These actions are unfounded and we believe that Kaspersky Lab's products and services as a whole Kaspersky Lab's network and data remain secure and we demonstrate standards in line with the approach of our international partners. ' issued a statement.
WeChat has also been watched by the United States, and there was a move to ban it under former President Donald Trump, but that decision was reversed by President Joe Biden. Kaspersky is also seen as having security concerns in the United States and is on the Federal Communications Commission's blacklist.
The Federal Communications Commission certifies Kaspersky, a long-established Russian security company, as an ``unacceptable threat to national security'' - GIGAZINE
A forum related to this article has been set up on the GIGAZINE official Discord server. Anyone can write freely, so please feel free to comment!
• Discord | 'Do you use Kaspersky or WeChat?' | GIGAZINE
https://discord.com/channels/1037961069903216680/1169204745458696274
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