Canada has now joined the EU and the U.S. and has banned TikTok from governmental devices. However, users can easily use virtual private networks (VPNs) to unblock the popular platform from any device.
This leads to the question: Is it really possible to fully regulate the Internet?
To answer this, Digital Journal sat down with technology expert Mo Harber-Lamond, VPN Editor at TechRadar, to find out more on this recent trend and what the consequences of further censorship could lead to.
Digital Journal: What is your overall expert insight on this recent trend?
Harber-Lamond: As Canada joins the US and EU in banning TikTok from government-owned devices, it’s not surprising that many are claiming that this is an act of censorship, and, in a way, they’re correct.
While the current ban is performative and poses little real-world consequence, what we really need to be aware of are broader restrictions that threaten a free Internet as a whole. Suffice to say, if rumours are true and it completely bans TikTok, the US will start to look like China itself.
DJ: In terms of available tech, such as VPNs, how easy is it to enforce this ban?
Harber-Lamond: What’s more, it would be practically impossible to enforce this ban. Millions worldwide are already using tech like VPNs and proxies to outsmart censorship. If the US, Canada or any EU state enforces similar restrictions, expect to see VPN downloads skyrocket.
DJ: Can we expect the UK and other countries to follow the EU, US and now CA?
Harber-Lamond: However, despite the ease of circumvention, we should still push back against this ban. If TikTok is completely banned in Canada, the US or EU, it may act as the first domino in a chain that sees governments worldwide enact state censorship on a level most of us only see and condemn from afar. From Instagram to freemium mobile games, anything could be on the table once this precedent is set.
DJ: What about potential backlash from users? Will this decision further widen the generational divide?
Harber-Lamond: As trust in governments around the world is on the decline, sweeping restrictions to a hugely popular leisure activity could quite easily dent the younger generation’s remaining faith in those in power. Don’t be surprised if this drives a wedge between them and their elders, too, who are largely in favour of such restrictions.
DJ: It seems like Tik Tok is fast becoming synonymous with ‘unsafe’. Shall users be concerned?
Harber-Lamond: The crux of the matter is that the developers of apps like TikTok will find loopholes and push boundaries to extract as much data from their users as legally possible – and they’re undeniably a threat to personal privacy. However, the true solution to this lies in stricter legislation that applies to those abusing data, not punishing those enjoying an apparently harmless app.
Until that happens, though, it’s up to users to be aware of any dangers and take precautions, like minimizing data shared and using VPNs to help anonymize activity – unless, of course, you fancy living in a state that censors the media you watch.
