Trudeau government bans TikTok from operating in Canada — but Canadians can still use it

Citing national security concerns, the federal government has ordered TikTok to shutter its Canadian operations — but users will still be able to access the popular video app.

Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne said the decision to wind down TikTok’s two Canadian offices — in Toronto and Vancouver —  was based on information and evidence that surfaced during a national security review, and the advice of Canada’s security and intelligence community.

“We came to the conclusion that these activities that were conducted in Canada by TikTok and their offices would be injurious to national security,” he told CBC News.

“I’m not at liberty to go into much detail, but I know Canadians would understand when you’re saying the government of Canada is taking measures to protect national security, that’s serious.”

The statement stressed that the government is not blocking Canadians from accessing the app or using it to create content.

“The decision to use a social media application or platform is a personal choice,” the statement said.

But Champagne urged Canadians to use TikTok “with eyes wide open.” Critics have claimed that TikTok users’ data could be obtained by the Chinese government.

“Obviously, parents and anyone who wants to use social platform should be mindful of the risk,” he said.

The decision was made in accordance with the Investment Canada Act, which allows for the review of foreign investments that may harm Canada’s national security.

U.S. has flagged concerns with ByteDance 

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.”

In February 2023, the Canadian government banned the social media platform from all government devices. Later that year, it ordered a national security review of the app.

Wednesday’s statement was the result of that review, which Champagne said involved “rigorous scrutiny by Canada’s national security and intelligence community.”

TikTok has long maintained that its servers are outside of China and beyond the control of the Chinese Communist Party, and that it follows Canadian data protection and privacy laws.