Time has run out for Tik Tok at Hamilton City Hall and Police

Following the recent decision by the government of Canada to ban Tik Tok on government-issued devices, the City of Hamilton is suspending its corporate account. Monday, Hamilton Police followed suit , saying they would no longer be using the social media service either. In a release Friday, the city noted, “Out of an abundance of caution and in consultation with the City’s IT division, Senior Leadership and social media team, the City will be removing the TikTok app from City devices and will be prevented from use on City of Hamilton devices going forward. In addition, the City’s Communications TikTok account will be paused and made dormant.”

Thew release continues, “the City of Hamilton launched a communications TikTok account on January 25, 2023 to pilot the social media platform as an opportunity to reach residents in a new, fun way. Staff met with TikTok staff in December 2022 to set up the account, and at that time discussed related news from the United States and concerns about security. City staff also led a Canada-wide environmental scan to determine use of TikTok by government and felt comfortable based on accounts that were active across Canada.

Following the announcement by the Federal Government, staff have met and watched closely as multiple provincial governments have followed the Federal lead related to potential security risks. The City of Hamilton’s IT division has not identified any specific security risks at this time.

The decision to remove and block TikTok from government mobile devices is being taken as a precaution, particularly given concerns about the legal regime that governs the information collected from mobile devices, and is in line with the approach of our international partners. On a mobile device, TikTok’s data collection methods provide considerable access to the contents of the phone.”