The Canadian government has placed a ban on TikTok’s business activities in the country owing to national security risks. However, according to the government, citizens can still access the short video app and create content.
Since last September, Canada has embarked on a national security review of TikTok’s proposal to expand the short-video app’s business in the country. The outcome of the review, which has blocked ByteDance’s subsidiary expansion and investment plan, could add to the company’s growing woes.
While defending the ban, Canada’s Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne stressed the need to protect national security.
“The government is taking action to address the specific national security risks related to ByteDance Ltd’s operations in Canada through the establishment of TikTok Technology Canada Inc.,” he said.
Under Canadian law, the government can assess potential risks to national security from foreign investments, such as a proposal. The law, however, prevents the government from revealing the details of such investments.
“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,” Champagne added.
However, TikTok has said it will challenge the order in court. The short video app company pointed out that the Canadian government’s actions contradict the interests of humanity.
“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,” a spokesperson said.
TikTok Woes Continues
In February last year, the Canadian government placed a ban on accessing TikTok from government-issued devices, saying it presents an “unacceptable” level of risk to privacy and security. At that time, the country’s privacy commissioner was also investigating the China-backed platform’s collection, use, and disclosure of personal information. It also added that the app is adding to the growing rift between the two countries – Canada and China.
While referring to the actions against the ByteDance subsidiary, Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau told reporters that the government was looking carefully at how to ensure Canadians’ online safety.
“This may be a first step, it may be the only step we need to take. As the government bans TikTok on work phones, many Canadians, businesses and private individuals will reflect on the security of their own data and perhaps make choices in consequence,” he said.
The move underscores the growing lobby against the company, owned by Chinese firm ByteDance Ltd, over concerns about its proximity to Beijing and hold over user data across the world.
Meanwhile, TikTok said that the company was cooperating with the national security review. “We remain committed to ensuring the safety and security of the platform for the millions of Canadian creators, artists, and small businesses who rely on TikTok to earn a living, find community, and create jobs,” the spokesperson said.
TikTok initially said it was disappointed by the decision, but later issued another statement to note that it was “curious” that Canada moved to block the app only after similar bans in the European Union and the United States.
The same month, the European Union’s two biggest policy-making institutions banned TikTok from staff phones for cybersecurity reasons, expressing growing concerns about the Chinese short video-sharing app and its users’ data. TikTok has been under scrutiny from the EU governments and regulators because of concerns that China’s government could use its app to harvest users’ data or advance its interests.
The U.S. Senate in 2022 passed a bill to bar federal employees from using the Chinese-owned short video-sharing app on government-owned devices. This was in a bid to crack down on Chinese companies amid national security fears that Beijing could use them to spy on Americans. The Senate action came after North Dakota joined a growing number of U.S. states in banning the platform from state-owned devices amid concerns that data could be passed on to the Chinese government.
A law, signed by President Joe Biden on April 24, gives ByteDance until Jan. 19 to sell TikTok or face a ban. The White House has said it wants to see Chinese-based ownership ended on national-security grounds but not a ban on TikTok. TikTok and ByteDance sued the U.S. government in May, seeking to block the law.
Similarly, the Indian government banned TikTok along with 58 other Chinese-origin apps in 2020 after it considered the applications a threat to national sovereignty.
Also Read: TikTok’s Zhang Yiming becomes China’s richest person, now valued at $49.3 billion.