The government of Canada has ordered social video app TikTok to shut down its business operations in the country, following a national security review under the Investment Canada Act. and potential risks posed by TikTok and parent ByteDance. “The government is not blocking Canadians’ access to the TikTok application or their ability to create content,” explains François-Philippe Champagne, minister of innovation, science and industry. “The decision to use a social media application or platform is a personal choice.” Canada previously banned the TikTok app from official government devices, while the U.S. passed a law that could also ban the app.

In August, we reported that our Department of Justice filed suit against TikTok and ByteDance, “charging they’ve violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) by allowing children to create TikTok accounts without parental consent, and collecting their data.”

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) has warned its citizens in the past against using the app, expressing concern over ties to China.

“It is important for Canadians to adopt good cybersecurity 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,” Champagne notes in a government release.

“U.S. lawmakers have contended that TikTok owner ByteDance is beholden to the Chinese government, which could demand access to the data of TikTok’s U.S. consumers through Chinese national security laws that compel organizations to assist with intelligence gathering,” according to CBC. “Former CSIS Director David Vigneault told CBC News it’s ‘very clear’ from the app’s design that data gleaned from its users ‘is available to the government of China’ and its large-scale data harvesting goals.”

“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,” a TikTok spokesperson explained in an email, as reported by Engadget. “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.”

Related:
House Passes Bill to Force ByteDance to Divest TikTok or Face Ban, Reuters, 3/14/24
Why the U.S. Is Forcing TikTok to Be Sold or Banned, The New York Times, 6/20/24
TikTok Argued Against its U.S. Ban in Court Today: Here’s What Happened, NPR, 9/16/24
TikTok Canada Unit Ordered to Dissolve Operations on National-Security Concerns, The Wall Street Journal, 11/6/24