TikTok Shut Down In Canada Over Security Concerns

The Canadian government has ordered the wind-up of TikTok in the country, citing national security risks.

The company has been ordered to shut down its Canadian subsidiary, TikTok Technology Canada, and close its offices in Toronto and Vancouver, following a national security review.

"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," said minister of innovation, science and industry François-Philippe Champagne.

Canadian users, though, will still be able to use the site.

"The government is not blocking Canadians’ access to the TikTok application or their ability to create content," said Champagne. "The decision to use a social media application or platform is a personal choice."

However, he urged users to be alert to possible risks from using this and other social media sites, including how their information is likely to be protected, managed, used and shared by foreign actors - as well which country’s laws apply.

In the case of TikTok, owned by Chinese firm ByteDance, there have been long-standing concerns over the company's connection to the Chinese government.

Two years ago, for example, the U.S. government banned the use of TikTok on government phones, warning that users' browsing history, location and biometric identifiers could potentially be shared with the Chinese government - a claim that the company denied.

MORE FOR YOU
New Chrome, Safari, Edge, Firefox Warning—Do Not Use These Websites
FBI Warns Gmail, Outlook Users Of $100 Government Emergency Data Email Hack
Google’s New 2FA Update Warning—Act Now, The Clock Is Ticking

A similar ban on the use of TikTok on official phones was also introduced by Canada and the European Commission a few months later, and soon after, the U.K.

The company was also last year censured by the European Union for failing to protect the privacy of children, and hit with a $368 million fine. Meanwhile, concerns that the app is proving addictive to children are behind U.S. litigation from a bipartisan group of state attorney generals.

More recently, Joe Biden signed a law stipulating that unless the company was sold within a year, TikTok would be banned altogether; the company is challenging this.

TikTok, which was looking to hire new staff in Canada as recently as this spring, says it plans to challenge the Canadian decision.

"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," said the firm 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."

Meanwhile, Michael Geist, Canada research chair in Internet and E-commerce Law at the University of Ottawa, said the decision to man the company but permit use of the app may be counter-productive.

"There may well be good reasons to ban the app if it poses security and privacy risks that differ from those of other platforms, but banning the company rather than the app may actually make matters worse since the risks associated with the app will remain but the ability to hold the company accountable will be weakened," he said.