Canada orders the closure of the local branch of the social network, but the application will remain accessible

Canada ordered, Wednesday, November 6, the liquidation of the Canadian branch of TikTok, citing “specific risks to national security”. However, access and use of the application in the country will not be prohibited. The government's announcement means TikTok will have to close offices it has in Toronto and Vancouver.

Ottawa imposes this measure “due to the specific risks to national security posed by the activities carried out by ByteDance Ltd. in Canada »declared François-Philippe Champagne, Canadian Minister of Innovation, in a press release.

For its part, TikTok indicated that it intended to challenge the decision in court. “Closing TikTok’s Canadian offices and destroying hundreds of good-paying local jobs is in no one’s best interest, and today’s shutdown order will do just that.”a company spokesperson told AFP.

Owned by Chinese giant ByteDance and claiming more than a billion active users each month, TikTok was audited in Canada, launching in September 2023, after the government banned it in February of that year. , the government smartphone application, evoking “an unacceptable level of risk” for privacy and security.

In the crosshairs of the American authorities

“This decision was made based on information and evidence gathered through the review as well as advice provided by Canadian national security and intelligence agencies and other government partners”added Minister François-Philippe Champagne.

He nevertheless specifies that the government “will not prohibit Canadians from accessing the TikTok application or preventing them from creating content”leaving the choice to users, while warning them against the use of their personal information “by foreign actors”.

TikTok has also been in the crosshairs of American authorities for several months, who believe that the application of short videos potentially allows the Chinese government to spy on and manipulate American citizens.

In April, the US Congress passed a law requiring the sale of the application by its Chinese owners, under penalty of ban in the United States. The company has always denied the accusations and is currently challenging the law in federal court.