The Canadian government has announced a ban on the installation of the Chinese messenger app WeChat and products developed by Russian cybersecurity company Kaspersky Laboratory for government devices. The decision comes amid concerns over potential risks to confidentiality and security. The ban was put in place by the director of information technologies in Canada, who emphasized that there have been no instances of compromised information at the time the decision was made.
The Ministry of Finance of Canada released a statement highlighting the risks associated with apps owned by Chinese company Tencent, such as WeChat, and the cybersecurity products developed by Moscow-based Kaspersky Lab. In response, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its disagreement, accusing the Canadian government of imposing restrictions on Chinese companies without providing sufficient evidence. The Chinese side views these actions as an abuse of power and unreasonable suppression of business in individual countries.
Chinese spokesperson Van Wanbin called on Canada to abandon ideological prejudices and adhere to the principles of a market economy. Wanbin urged Canada to provide a fair and transparent business environment for Chinese companies to operate in.
Kaspersky Laboratory expressed surprise and disappointment over the ban, stating that no evidence has been presented to justify the decision. The company believes that the ban is a result of the Canadian government’s response to the geopolitical environment rather than a comprehensive assessment of the reliability of their products and services.
The banned applications were scheduled to be removed from state mobile devices on October 30, and future downloads of these apps will be prohibited.