The Canadian government ordered the wind-up of TikTok’s Canadian business, TikTok Technology Canada Inc., over national security concerns related to the social media app’s parent company ByteDance and its alleged ties to the Chinese Communist Party.
“Shutting down TikTok’s Canadian offices and destroying hundreds of well-paying local jobs is not in anyone's best interest, and today's shutdown order will do just that,” TikTok said in a statement. “We will challenge this order in court.”
“The TikTok platform will remain available for creators to find an audience, explore new interests and for businesses to thrive.”
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Canada conducted a lengthy, multi-agency probe into TikTok’s operations in the country involving its national security and intelligence community.
While the app won’t be blocked in the country, the Canadian government suggested that the decision to remove TikTok’s local arm was taken to address “specific national security risks.”
“While Canada continues to welcome foreign direct investment, the government will act decisively when investments threaten our national security,” François-Philippe Champagne, Canada’s Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry said in a statement.
“The government is not blocking Canadians’ access to the TikTok application or their ability to create content. The decision to use a social media application or platform is a personal choice.
“It is important for Canadians to adopt good cyber security practices and assess the possible risks of using social media platforms and applications, including how their information is likely to be protected, managed, used and shared by foreign actors, as well as to be aware of which country’s laws apply.”
The decision is the latest in a growing list of battles facing the Chinese social media app.
Since its entry into the US, there’s been a constant ebb and flow of efforts to try and ban the app, with the idea of a ban dating back to Donald Trump’s first administration. The Trump-enforced ban was revoked by President Joe Biden in 2021, along with several other Chinese apps like WeChat and Alipay, but the platform remained in the firing line of government officials.
TikTok was also banned on UK government devices in March 2023, over fears the app could be used to access potentially sensitive information stored on government phones, a month after the European Commission and European Council did the same.
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