Canada bans WeChat, Kaspersky applications on government devices

Canada on Monday banned the use of Chinese messaging application WeChat and Russian antivirus program Kaspersky on government-issued mobile devices, citing privacy and security risks.

"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," the Canadian government said in a statement.