'I think it is proactive': Winnipeg has banned TikTok on all city devices

The City of Winnipeg has banned TikTok on all city devices, joining both the federal and provincial governments in the move.

On Thursday, City Council voted unanimously to prohibit the social media platform from any city issued devices, effective immediately. There is an exception to the rule if the city's Chief Technology Officer authorizes it for a specific purpose.

"I think it is a good initiative," Coun. Russ Wyatt (Transcona) said during a discussion in council on the matter that lasted less than a minute.

"I think it is proactive and there is a lot of developments happening in terms of these issues on the national international stage."

The motion to ban TikTok was initially brought forward by Coun. Markus Chambers (St. Norbert-Seine River) in March, citing 'potential security risks.'

The City of Winnipeg now joins the federal government, which banned TikTok on its devices in late February. In early March, Manitoba followed suit, banning the app on its devices. At the time, the provincial government said the reason for the ban was to protect, "the privacy and security of government information."

A spokesperson for TikTok has previously called Canada's ban of the app curious, adding the government didn’t cite any specific security concern or contact the company with questions. 

CTV News has reached out to the city for comment.