What the federal ban on TikTok's Canadian operations means for you
Government may be 'slow-walking' eventual TikTok ban, expert says
The Canadian government has ordered TikTok to cease its operations in Canada, specifically in its Vancouver and Toronto offices, due to national security concerns, though the app remains available for use. This decision follows a national security review of the app, which had already been banned from government devices as of February 2023. However, privacy experts are uncertain why the app itself wasn't banned entirely.
For most Canadians, the shutdown of TikTok's Canadian operations won’t have a noticeable impact. Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne noted that the primary effect is on TikTok employees, most of whom aren’t Canadian citizens and may need to leave the country.
TikTok has responded by indicating plans to challenge the government’s order in court, arguing that shutting down Canadian offices and impacting local jobs isn’t beneficial. "Shutting down TikTok's Canadian offices and destroying hundreds of well-paying local jobs is not in anyone's best interest,” a TikTok spokesperson said.
When asked about whether Canadians should stop using the app, Champagne suggested that individuals make their own decisions and advised caution. Former Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) director David Vigneault warned that data collected by TikTok could be accessible to the Chinese government due to the app's design, echoing general privacy concerns.
Philip Mai, a co-director of the Social Media Lab at Toronto Metropolitan University, elaborated on these risks, noting that user data, like location and engagement metrics, can potentially be used to build profiles and compromise privacy. TikTok's parent company ByteDance is subject to Chinese laws, meaning it may be compelled to share data with Beijing. Mai explained, "We'd never know until it's too late."
The security concerns surrounding TikTok are not unique to Canada; the United States has also been grappling with these issues. A law signed by President Joe Biden mandates that ByteDance either sell TikTok by January 2025 or face a U.S. ban, an action TikTok has also challenged as an infringement on free speech.
Michael Geist, a law professor at the University of Ottawa, pointed out that the Canadian government’s choice to shut down TikTok’s operations, rather than banning the app itself, might hinder Canada’s ability to enforce privacy laws, as physical presence in the country often facilitates legal processes.
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly stated that this decision follows a recommendation from intelligence and law enforcement agencies, adding that it sends a message to China. However, she clarified that the version of TikTok available to Canadians operates from Singapore and is unaffected by this shutdown.
