The Canadian government on Wednesday ordered TikTok, owned by ByteDance, to stop operating in the country, citing national security risks, but stopped short of banning the popular video-sharing platform.
“The decision was based on information and evidence gathered during the review, as well as recommendations from the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service and other government partners,” said Francois-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry. said in the statement.
The government said it has no intention of blocking Canadians’ access to the app itself or restricting their ability to create new content, saying that using the social media app is a “personal choice.” Using the app already was banned on Canadian government devices from February 2023.
In doing so, he urged Canadians to adopt good cyber security practices and assess the potential risks that may arise from the use of social media platforms, particularly with respect to how their information is protected, managed, used and shared by foreign entities.
In addition, the government said the order to stop TikTok was made under the Investment Canada Act, which “allows for the review of foreign investments that may harm Canada’s national security.”
In the statement general from the Associated Press, the company said the closure of its Canadian offices would eliminate hundreds of local jobs and that it intends to challenge the order in court.
TikTok, which is owned by China’s ByteDance, has raised concerns in the US that Beijing could force the service to hand over the data of American TikTok users through domestic national security laws that require organizations to help gather intelligence.
These concerns prompted The US government signed a law giving ByteDance until January 19, 2025 to abandon TikTok or risk being banned from the country. In May, TikTok sued in US federal court in an attempt to block the law.
While the company has long maintained that it does not share data with the Chinese government, it has faced complete blockade in several countries including Afghanistan, India, Nepal and Pakistan. The use of the program is also prohibited on government devices in several countries around the world.
