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 have offices in Toronto and Vancouver, have been ordered to be “shut down.”
This follows a national security review of TikTok's Chinese parent company ByteDance Ltd.
“The decision was based on the information and evidence gathered during the review and the advice of Canada's security and intelligence community and other government partners,” Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne said in a statement. Canadian Press.
He also told the CBC that TikTok's operations in Canada are potentially “harmful to national security.” He didn't go into specifics, but said: “I know Canadians will understand when you say the government of Canada is taking action to protect national security, that's serious.”
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 operate in the country.
TikTok, however, won't go down without a fight.
“Shutting down TikTok's Canadian offices and destroying hundreds of well-paying local jobs is in no one's best interest, and today's shutdown order will do just that. We will challenge this provision in court,” a TikTok spokesperson told the national broadcaster.
TikTok has faced similar scrutiny in the United States, with ByteDance ordered to sell the platform or cease operations.
In Canada, a large part of TikTok's operations revolves around music, and it has a number of initiatives to support local creators. In April, the company launched a weekly music chart that measures viral songs on the platform in Canada.
Several Canadian artists such as Lauren Spencer Smith, Alexander Stewart, Crash Adams and, most successfully, Tate McRae, have built successful music careers on TikTok.
More on this story as it develops.
