Canada shuts down TikTok's Canadian offices, but allows app to remain

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Canada announced Wednesday it won't artifact entree to nan celebrated video-sharing app TikTok but is ordering nan dissolution of its Canadian business aft a nationalist information reappraisal of nan Chinese institution down it.

Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne said it is meant to reside risks related to ByteDance Ltd.'s constitution of TikTok Technology Canada Inc.

"The authorities is not blocking Canadians' entree to nan TikTok exertion aliases their expertise to create content. The determination to usage a societal media exertion aliases level is simply a individual choice," Champagne said.

Champagne said it is important for Canadians to adopt bully cybersecurity practices, including protecting their individual information.

He said nan dissolution bid was made successful accordance pinch nan Investment Canada Act, which allows for nan reappraisal of overseas investments that whitethorn harm Canada's nationalist security. He said nan determination was based connected accusation and grounds collected complete nan people of nan reappraisal and connected nan proposal of Canada's information and intelligence organization and different authorities partners.

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A TikTok spokesperson said successful a connection that nan shutdown of its Canadian offices will mean nan nonaccomplishment of hundreds of section jobs.

"We will situation this bid successful court," nan spokesperson said. "The TikTok level will stay disposable for creators to find an audience, research caller interests and for businesses to thrive."

TikTok is wildly celebrated pinch young people, but its Chinese ownership has raised fears that Beijing could usage it to cod information connected Western users aliases push pro-China narratives and misinformation. TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese institution that moved its office to Singapore successful 2020.

TikTok faces intensifying scrutiny from Europe and America complete information and information privacy. It comes arsenic China and nan West are locked successful a wider tug of warfare complete exertion ranging from spy balloons to machine chips.

Canada antecedently banned TikTok from each government-issued mobile devices. TikTok has 2 offices successful Canada, 1 successful Toronto and 1 successful Vancouver.

Michael Geist, Canada investigation chair successful net and e-commerce rule astatine nan University of Ottawa, said successful a blog station that "banning nan institution alternatively than nan app whitethorn really make matters worse since nan risks associated pinch nan app will stay but nan expertise to clasp nan institution accountable will beryllium weakened."

Canada's move comes a time aft nan predetermination successful nan United States of Donald Trump. In June, Trump joined TikTok, a level he erstwhile tried to prohibition while successful nan White House. It has astir 170 cardinal users successful nan U.S.

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Trump tried to prohibition TikTok done an executive bid that said "the dispersed successful nan United States of mobile applications developed and owned" by Chinese companies was a nationalist information threat. The courts blocked nan action aft TikTok sued.

Both nan U.S. FBI and nan Federal Communications Commission person warned that ByteDance could stock personification information specified arsenic browsing history, location and biometric identifiers pinch China's government. TikTok said it has ne'er done that and would not, if asked.

Trump said earlier this twelvemonth that he still believes TikTok posed a nationalist information risk, but was opposed to banning it.

U.S. President Joe Biden signed authorities successful April that would unit ByteDance to waste nan app to a U.S. institution wrong a twelvemonth aliases look a nationalist ban. It's not clear whether that rule will past a ineligible situation revenge by TikTok aliases that ByteDance would work together to sell.