OTTAWA - Canada is banning Chinese social media app TikTok from all government-issued devices effective from Tuesday, according to a report in the National Post on Monday, citing official communication to an internal department.

The decision was made to ensure the security of government information after an internal review showed that TikTok’s data collection methods may leave users vulnerable to cyber attacks, the report said.

The move, which comes days after the European Commission imposed a similar ban, underscores the growing lobby against TikTok over concerns of its proximity to the Chinese government and hold over user data across the world.

Canada’s privacy commissioner and TikTok did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment. REUTERS