What the federal ban on TikTok’s Canadian operations means for you

The federal government ordered an end to TikTok’s Canadian operations on Wednesday, citing national security concerns. But its decision to keep the app itself available has privacy experts puzzled.

The order to shut down the social media platform’s Vancouver and Toronto offices came after a months-long national security review of the app.

The federal government banned TikTok from government devices in February 2023.

How big a deal is this?

For most Canadians, the decision to end the social media platform’s operations in the country will go largely unnoticed.

Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne said those directly affected by the decision are TikTok employees, most of whom aren’t Canadian citizens.

With the social media platform’s Canadian operations ending, those workers will be required to leave the country, depending on their status.

• Trudeau government bans TikTok from operating in Canada — but Canadians can still use it
• Federal government reveals it ordered national security review of TikTok

A spokesperson for TikTok said in an email Wednesday that the company plans to take legal action.

“Shutting down TikTok’s Canadian offices and destroying hundreds of well-paying local jobs is not in anyone’s best interest, and today’s shutdown order will do just that,” the company said. “We will challenge this order in court.”

In a later statement, a spokesperson called Champagne’s comment that most affected TikTok employees aren’t Canadian citizens “categorically untrue and a troubling insinuation.”

“The majority of TikTok’s staff in Canada are proud Canadian citizens and permanent residents. We invite the minister to meet our employees whose jobs and livelihoods will be impacted by this order,” the spokesperson said

Should Canadians stop using TikTok?

Should Canadians stop using TikTok?

U.S. lawmakers have contended that TikTok owner ByteDance is beholden to the Chinese government, which could demand access to the data of TikTok’s U.S. consumers through Chinese national security laws that compel organizations to assist with intelligence gathering.

TikTok’s parent company ByteDance is also accused of helping to build China’s system for cracking down on the Uyghur minority, and of targeting protesters in Hong Kong.

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) has warned Canadians, including teenagers, against using TikTok.

Former CSIS director David Vigneault told CBC News it’s “very clear” from the app’s design that data gleaned from its users “is available to the government of China” and its large-scale data harvesting goals.

“Most people can say, ‘Why is it a big deal for a teenager now to have their data [on TikTok]?’ Well in five years, in 10 years, that teenager will be a young adult, will be engaged in different activities around the world,” he said at the time.

“As an individual, I would say that I would absolutely not recommend someone have TikTok.