ASET Technology Alberta Spring 2023 - 15

feature
With that in mind, it's interesting that other apps have not
been subject to the same level of scrutiny by the Canadian
government that TikTok has.
" The rationale offered for the sudden TikTok ban is far too
vague. Cybersecurity and privacy concerns have been hinted
at (an 'unacceptable level of risk') but no new information
has been divulged, " wrote Vass Bednar. Bednar is the executive
director, master of public policy program at McMaster
University, and a senior fellow at the Centre for International
Governance Innovation.
" Though Restaurant Brands International Inc.'s Tim Hortons
app collected vast amounts of sensitive location data, it was
never blocked, " she pointed out.
Speaking to ASET, Bednar said a public report detailing the
full reasoning for the ban would help to give a better understanding
of the decision.
" I think we need to see the report from the chief information
officer and just understand: why now and why TikTok? " she
said. " What are the factors that led to that judgment? No one
knows. They're not obligated to release their memo or their
research, but I think they should, so that we're more clear on
the nuances of that assessment. "
When asked about a possible public report, if other apps
will be investigated and banned, and how many government
employees had TikTok on their work devices, Treasury Secretary
Board of Canada Secretariat Representative Sola Salem
gave this response:
" The Chief Information Officer of Canada made the
decision to block TikTok on Government devices
because TikTok's data collection methods provide
considerable access to the contents of the phone,
making those who have downloaded the application
more vulnerable to surveillance.
" Furthermore, there are concerns about the applicable
legal regime that governs the information collected.
This is consistent with the actions of many
other jurisdictions. The Government of Canada continuously
works to enhance cyber security in Canada
by identifying cyber threats and vulnerabilities, including
from social media platforms, to ensure government
information systems and networks remain
secure and protected.
" The Government is conducting a broader review of
social media applications on work devices, and the
results of this work will be shared when available.
As of February 28, the Tik Tok (sic) app was blocked
from use and downloading on all government-issued
mobile devices. For Canadians and Canadian organizations,
they must make an informed decision based
on their own needs and risk-assessments. Ultimately,
the decision to use a social media application or
platform is a personal choice. "
DATA PRIVACY AND FUTURE
CANADIAN LEGAL PROTECTION
Currently, we're reading the familiar story of technology and
legal protections, where the novelty of the tech outpaces
the legislation. New legal frameworks in Canada are seeking
to redress that, in the form of Bills C-26 and C-27. These bills
were tabled last June.
If C-26 is passed, industries deemed vital to the federal government
will need to comply with tighter cybersecurity directives,
disclose incidents of cyberattacks to government,
and increase overall transparency over cyberattacks.
C-27, meanwhile, is focused on consumer data privacy
protection. " C-27 is a major overdue strengthening of federal
privacy legislation for private sector companies, so it
will improve that bargain between individuals and corporations, "
Bednar explained. " It will also allow us to kind of
levy what are referred to as AMPs: administrative monetary
policies, when we are investigating a privacy breach, or the
privacy commissioner's doing an investigation. "
Both bills are still making their way through legislative readings
in the House of Commons.
With any luck, these new measures will address the current
issues around both our cybersecurity as consumers and as
organizations. In the meantime and as always, personal privacy
prudence will remain vital to protecting our most sensitive
information.
" It's hard to get people to care about
cybersecurity until it affects them
directly, " said Lori Creighton, part of
Vc3's marketing team. " Everybody has a
responsibility, a personal responsibility
for security. And that's a really, really
big challenge, because you can't make
somebody care about it. "
TECHNOLOGY ALBERTA | SPRING 2023 | 15
https://mjolnirsecurity.com/bills-c26-and-c27-prompt-major-regulatory-changes-in-cybersecurity-and-data-collection/ https://www.parl.ca/DocumentViewer/en/44-1/bill/C-27/first-reading https://www.parl.ca/DocumentViewer/en/44-1/bill/C-27/first-reading
ASET Technology Alberta Spring 2023

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