Canada joins list of nations to ban Kaspersky and WeChat from government devices

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Government employees will be banned from downloading either application in future

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Kaspersky and WeChat have been banned from Canadian government devices due to security concerns - although both companies think other motives are at play.

This isn’t the first time both apps have been prohibited on the North American continent, as they were previously banned on US government devices too.

Kaspersky, a well-known antivirus software suite, and WeChat, an instant messaging service, are rumored to have connections to Russia and China respectively, hence the decision from yet another western power to throw them out of official circles.

“An unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security"

In a statement released by the Treasury Board of Canada, both applications "present an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security," due to their potential affiliations with governments that may seek to compromise the security of Canada and its allies.

Both WeChat and Kaspersky responded to the ban by blaming geopolitical tensions and ideology as its basis, rather than due to any security concerns. Kaspersky issued a statement saying, "there has been no evidence or due process to otherwise justify these actions," adding that the decision is merely "a response to the geopolitical climate rather than a comprehensive evaluation of the integrity of Kaspersky’s products and services.”

Similarly, at a press briefing, WeChat spokesperson Wang Wenbin said, “we hope that the Canadian side will discard ideological prejudices, abide by the principles of market economy and provide a fair, just and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese enterprises."

In 2017, Kaspersky was banned from use on government devices in the US due to concerns surrounding the antivirus manufacturers links to Moscow. It has also been “confirmed as malicious” by the European Union and was banned from use within its infrastructure in 2018.

The Canadian Treasury Board further stated that, "the decision to remove and block the WeChat and the Kaspersky applications was made to ensure that government of Canada networks and data remain secure and protected and are in line with the approach of our international partners."

Via Reuters

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Benedict Collins
Benedict Collins
Staff Writer (Security)

Benedict has been writing about security issues for over 7 years, first focusing on geopolitics and international relations while at the University of Buckingham. During this time he studied BA Politics with Journalism, for which he received a second-class honours (upper division),  then continuing his studies at a postgraduate level, achieving a distinction in MA Security, Intelligence and Diplomacy. Upon joining TechRadar Pro as a Staff Writer, Benedict transitioned his focus towards cybersecurity, exploring state-sponsored threat actors, malware, social engineering, and national security. Benedict is also an expert on B2B security products, including firewalls, antivirus, endpoint security, and password management.