Canada Cracks Down on TikTok – Here’s What It Means for You

The federal government has ordered TikTok’s Canadian arm to shut down its operations.

That’s according to François-Philippe Champagne, Canada’s Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry on Wednesday, saying the decision follows a detailed national security review conducted by our security and intelligence agencies, which looked into the national security risks of TikTok parent company, ByteDance, based in China.

While TikTok’s Canadian business will shut down, the feds stopped short of banning TikTok outright. Canadians can still use the TikTok app and keep creating content. That’s a bit of a mixed message.

“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,” said Champagne.

TikTok shows short-length videos and its algorithm will know exactly what you want to watch next, based on your video interests. There are apparently 5.8 million monthly active TikTok users in Canada.

This decision was made under the Investment Canada Act, which allows for the review of foreign investments in sectors deemed sensitive to national security, including digital media.

Champagne says the government will take strong action when an investment poses potential threats to national security, but said Canada remains open to foreign investments.

Reaction to Ottawa’s mixed decision on TikTok was quick. Michael Geist questioned, “After years of demanding cultural payments from Internet platforms, the government is now kicking TikTok the company out of the country, but leaving the app in place? How does that benefit creators or better protect Canadians’ privacy and security?”.