Canada has banned the Chinese messaging app WeChat and the Russian antivirus program Kaspersky on government mobile devices due to privacy and security risks, confirming that its data has not been compromised.

The ban was announced after an official assessment revealed to Canada that the WeChat app owned by Tencent and applications launched by Kaspersky "pose an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security," according to a statement issued by the Canadian Treasury Board, which oversees the public administration.

Kaspersky said it was shocked and disappointed, and that the decision was made without warning or an opportunity for the company to address the government's concerns.

The company said in its statement that "given the lack of evidence or legal proceedings justifying these measures in any other way, they are unsupported and respond only to the geopolitical climate rather than a comprehensive evaluation of the integrity of Kaspersky’s products and services.

The Treasury Board said it had no evidence that government information had been compromised, but the data collection methods provide significant access to device content, and the risks involved in their use were "clear."

Canada had banned the TikTok app on government devices in February due to similar privacy and security concerns.