advertisement
Streaming

TikTok Banned From Operating In Canada

Following a security review, the federal government has ordered that the company wind down its Canadian operations, including its offices in Toronto and Vancouver. Though TikTok will no longer be able to do business in the country, Canadian users will still be able to use the app.

TikTok Logo

TikTok logo.

Photo by Eyestetix Studio on Unsplash

The federal government has ordered the dissolution of TikTok in Canada.

Canadian users will still be able to use and access the popular social media app, but the company’s Canadian operations, which has offices in Toronto and Vancouver, have been ordered to “wind down.”


This follows a national security review of TikTok’s Chinese parent company ByteDance Ltd.

"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 Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne in a statement, reported by Canadian Press.

He also told CBC that TikTok's Canadian operations are potentially "injurious to national security." He wouldn't go into specifics, but said "I know Canadians would understand when you're saying the government of Canada is taking measures to protect national security, that's serious."

advertisement

Canadians will still be able to watch TikTok videos and post their own on the app, but the company will no longer be able to conduct business in the country.

TikTok, however, will not leave without a fight.

"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. We will challenge this order in court," a spokesperson for TikTok told the national broadcaster.

TikTok has faced similar scrutiny in the United States, with an order for ByteDance to sell the platform or stop operating.

In Canada, a big part of TikTok's operations revolve around music and it has a number of initiatives to support local creators. In April, the company launched a weekly music chart measuring viral songs on the platform in Canada.

A number of Canadian artists like Lauren Spencer Smith, Alexander Stewart, Crash Adams and, most successfully, Tate McRae, have built successful music careers on TikTok.

advertisement

More on this story as it develops.

advertisement
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew in a meeting at the European Commission.
Wikimedia Commons

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew in a meeting at the European Commission.

Streaming

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew Requests 'Urgent' Meeting with Canadian Minister of Industry Mélanie Joly Amidst Shutdown Order

In a letter obtained by Billboard Canada, Chew writes that without government intervention, "TikTok will be forced to fire all of its Canadian employees.”

TikTok's global CEO is requesting an urgent meeting with government officials in advance of its ordered shutdown in Canada.

Following an order citing national security risks last November, the social media app is preparing to wind down its Canadian operations. While TikTok has vowed to fight the order, the clock is ticking. Last week, TikTok Canada halted its arts sponsorships throughout the country.

keep readingShow less
advertisement