Canada orders TikTok to shut down its business operations in the country due to ‘national security risks’

Canada has ordered TikTok to shut down its operations in the country, citing unspecified ā€œnational security risksā€ posed by the company and its parent ByteDance. With the move, TikTok will be forced to ā€œwind upā€ all business in the country, though the Canadian government stopped short of banning the app.

ā€œThe government is taking action to address the specific national security risks related to ByteDance Ltd.ā€™s operations in Canada through the establishment of TikTok Technology Canada, Inc,ā€ Canadaā€™s Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry FranƧois-Philippe Champagne said in a statement. ā€œThe decision was based on the information and evidence collected over the course of the review and on the advice of Canadaā€™s security and intelligence community and other government partners.ā€

Canadaā€™s crackdown on TikTok follows a ā€œmulti-step national security review processā€ by its intelligence agencies, the government said in a statement. As the CBC points out, the country previously banned the app from official government devices. It also comes several months after the United States passed a law that could ban the app stateside. US lawmakers have also cited national security concerns and the appā€™s ties to China. TikTok has mounted an extensive legal challenge to the law.

In a statement, a TikTok spokesperson said the company would challenge Canadaā€™s order as well. “Shutting down TikTokā€™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,ā€ the spokesperson said. ā€œWe will challenge this order in court. The TikTok platform will remain available for creators to find an audience, explore new interests and for businesses to thrive.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/canada-orders-tiktok-to-shut-down-its-business-operations-in-the-country-due-to-national-security-risks-002615440.html?src=rss

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