Is TikTok a step closer to being banned in Canada? It looks like it. [UPDATED]
Many people are suspicious of TikTok because it’s a division of the Chinese company ByteDance. What data is the company collecting on users? And who is using that data? Could it be the Chinese government? The fears are real and legitimate.
After a national security review by the feds, the Canadian government is ordering the dissolution of all of TikTok’s Canadian business interests, effectively shutting it down in the country. While this is short of a full-on ban and the blocking of the app in Canada, it means the end of any Canadian TikTok offices (they’re in Vancouver and Toronto), resulting in the loss of several hundred jobs.
Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne had this to say: “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.”
Canadian TikTokers are still free to use the app and to create content, but the feds say users should “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.”
TikTok Canada says they will challenge the order in court. Here’s their statement: “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. 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.”
Yeah, fine, but TikTok doesn’t offer a creator fund in Canada. Many Canadian TikTokers open US accounts so they can make money. And even that is being closed down.
Meanwhile, let’s see what happens to TikTok in the US under the new Trump administration.
More at The Canadian Press.
