The federal government is banning the Chinese social media app WeChat and Russia's Kaspersky Lab antivirus applications from all government-issued phones, citing security concerns. We are taking a risk-based approach to cyber security by removing access to these applications on government mobile devices, she said in a media statement. On a mobile device, the WeChat and Kaspersky applications' data collection methods provide considerable access to the device's contents, the statement added. WeChat used to target Michael ChongWeChat is a popular social media, payment, instant messaging and networking app developed by the Shenzhen-based technology company Tencent. The ban follows the federal government's decision in February to ban the social media app Tik Tok on all government-issued phones.

Source: CBC News October 30, 2023 18:31 UTC