Citing national security concerns, the federal government has ordered TikTok to close its Canadian operations — but users will still be able to access the popular app.
“The decision was based on the information and evidence collected over the course of the review and on the advice of Canada’s security and intelligence community and other government partners,” Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne said in a media statement on Wednesday.
The statement stressed that the government is not blocking Canadians from accessing the app or using it to create content.
“The decision to use a social media application or platform is a personal choice,” the statement said. “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 company will be required to close its offices in Toronto and Vancouver as a result of the government order.
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.
In February 2023, the Canadian government banned the social media platform from all government devices. Later that year, it ordered a national security review of the app.
Wednesday’s statement was the result of that review, which Champagne said involved “rigorous scrutiny by Canada’s national security and intelligence community.”
More to come …