The Canadian branch of ByteDance, parent company of TikTok, was ordered by the authorities to leave the country for reasons of national security.
We learn through a press release that the Canadian authorities have banned the company ByteDance from its territory for reasons of national security. If the company is ordered to cease operations, Canadians will still be able to continue using the application.
Major risks
Canadian authorities are said to have collected evidence as part of the Investment Canada Act allowing the government to review foreign investments by companies that could harm Canada's national security. As a result, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, François-Philippe Champagne, declared the liquidation of the company on his soil.
The Government of Canada has ordered the liquidation of the Canadian business operated by TikTok Technology Canada, Inc. It is imposing this measure due to the specific risks to national security posed by the activities carried out by ByteDance Ltd.
François-Philippe Champagne
This is not the first time that the company has been targeted for accusations of this type. In the United States, the application was accused of serving the interests of the Chinese government by sending the data of American users there.
Maintained use
Canadian users can, however, rest assured, “the government will not prohibit Canadians from accessing the TikTok application or preventing them from creating content”indicates François-Philippe Champagne. The minister specifies that the use of the application is above all “of personal choice”. However, he invites his fellow citizens to adopt good practices in terms of cybersecurity and to find out about the use that is made of their personal data.
In Europe, TikTok's exclusion is still on the table after Brussels penalized the company over its handling of European user data.
