Canada has banned the installation of solutions from the Russian company Kaspersky Lab on government devices. The installation of the Chinese messenger WeChat is also not allowed, writes Reuters.
The decision was made even though none of the company’s services had previously compromised government data. However, the apps’ data collection practices have raised questions among Canadian authorities.
The Canadian Ministry of Finance’s position boils down to the “unacceptability” of the privacy and security risks posed by the use of Russian and Chinese products.
Kaspersky Lab expressed surprise at the decision of the Canadian authorities and also expressed disappointment that the measure was taken without prior notice.
The company doubted that the fears were unfounded and that the ban on the use of applications was a “reaction to the geopolitical climate.”
The Chinese Foreign Ministry, for its part, claimed that the ban was introduced without any evidence that it posed a security threat. The Chinese Foreign Ministry expressed hope that the Canadian side would adhere to the key principles of a market economy.
In the summer of 2022, one of the founders of Kaspersky Lab, Alexey De-Monderic, resigned from all positions in the company and sold his stake. Lawyers believed that the risk of sanctions could be the reason for this decision.
Author:
Natalia Gormaleva
Source: RB
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