NDP reactivates TikTok account despite foreign interference risk and security concerns

The federal NDP reactivated its TikTok account this spring — despite the popular social media platform being banned from all government-issued phones.

The NDP says it has taken enough security measures to protect itself from TikTok, a platform that Public Safety Canada warns poses an unacceptable level of risk to the privacy and security of Canadians. Ottawa is in the midst of a national security review of TikTok.

Testifying before the public inquiry investigating foreign interference in Canada's democracy last Thursday, NDP national director Lucy Watson said she wasn't aware at the time that the NDP was back on TikTok.

«The very fact that I didn't know that we had reactivated our TikTok account is reflective of my non-use of TikTok,» Watson told the inquiry.

Eight million Canadians, including three quarters of Canadian voters under 25, are on TikTok, making it a powerful platform for engaging with younger voters.

Most parties and politicians stopped using the app after the federal government banned it from all official government devices in February 2023. The government said TikTok's data collection methods could lead to cyber attacks.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh was a prolific user of the app prior to the ban.

Watson told the inquiry the NDP consulted with cyber security experts before reactivating its party TikTok account.

The NDP installed the app on a phone that isn't used for any other purpose, and the phone is left in the same spot with all location features disabled, she testified.

«We've been assured that that will guard against the possibility of foreign interference,» she said.

The federal Liberals said in March they had ordered a national security review of TikTok in September 2023.

A spokesperson for Innovation Minister