Canada has directed the popular video app TikTok to close its offices in the country, citing national security risks.
The app, owned by Chinese tech company ByteDance, will still be available for use in Canada, confirmed Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne.
The decision follows advice from Canada’s security and intelligence experts, who believe ByteDance’s presence could pose a threat to national security.
“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,” Mr. Champagne stated. Canadian law allows for extra scrutiny of foreign companies that may risk national security.
TikTok plans to challenge the order in court, calling the move “harmful” to Canadian workers. The company claims the shutdown will cost hundreds of jobs in its Toronto and Vancouver offices, where employees handled advertising and app operations.
Canada’s action adds to global concerns about TikTok, with the U.S. and other countries, including the UK, Australia, and France, banning it from government devices over fears it might share user data with the Chinese government. India completely banned TikTok in 2020.
Though TikTok remains widely popular in Canada, with around 700,000 downloads monthly, some experts worry about the effectiveness of the office closure.
Professor Michael Geist from the University of Ottawa remarked, “The risks associated with the app will remain but the ability to hold the company accountable will be weakened.”
