A man holds a phone displaying the TikTok app, in this file photo, on Aug. 11, 2024. Oleksii Pydsosonnii/The Epoch Times
Ottawa has decided to allow TikTok to continue its operations in Canada under new data security and regulatory oversight rules, reversing its previous decision to order the Chinese-owned firm to close its doors in Canada over national security concerns.
Industry Minister Mélanie Joly said in a March 9 statement that TikTok Canada agreed to implement enhanced protection for Canadian users’ personal information, including “new security gateways and privacy-enhancing technologies” to control access to user data.
The company also agreed to implement improved protections for minors, and to appoint an independent third-party to audit and continuously verify data access controls, Joly said.
She said the decision comes after a “thorough assessment” of information gathered during a further national security review of the company, including advice from Canada’s security and intelligence agencies and other government partners.
“The Government of Canada will exercise its full authorities under the Investment Canada Act and ensure the full implementation and enforcement of the measures committed to by TikTok Canada,” Joly said.
For its part, TikTok said in a March 9 news release that it was “pleased” to reach an agreement with the federal government to keep its local operations and related jobs in Canada.
The company said the new security gateways it has agreed to implement would “form a highly secure barrier around Canadian user data.” TikTok said it also committed to “continued support of Canadian content creators, cultural organizations, training programs and more, with a focus on Francophone and Indigenous creators.”
The decision comes as Ottawa has been pursuing closer ties with Beijing. Prime Minister Mark Carney visited China from Jan. 13 to Jan. 17 in an effort to boost non-U.S. exports and attract more investment in Canada.
Ottawa signed agreements with Beijing during the visit in a variety of areas, including electric vehicles, energy, agriculture, and law enforcement cooperation. Carney said during the trip that relations between Ottawa and Beijing had entered “a new era,” and that the two countries were in a “strategic partnership.”
Shutdown Order
Ottawa had ordered the Chinese makers of TikTok to close its operations in Canada in November 2024 to address “specific national security risks” related to its operations.
TikTok challenged the government’s order in courts, saying the shutdown of its operations and offices in Canada would lead to the loss of hundreds of jobs.
However, the federal government filed a letter with the Federal Court of Canada on Jan. 19, saying it had reached an agreement with TikTok to set aside the shutdown order and conduct a new national security review, just days after Carney wrapped up his visit to China.
The court then said on Jan. 21 that TikTok could continue its operations in Canada for now, and referred the matter back to Joly for further review.
Conservative MP Raquel Dancho questioned Ottawa’s move to set aside the shutdown order soon after Carney’s China visit, saying the decision sends “troubling signals.”
“Just days after a trip to Beijing, the Liberal government has abandoned its effort to shut down TikTok’s operations in Canada,” Dancho wrote in a Jan. 22 post on X.
Dancho noted TikTok’s owner, Bytedance, is headquartered in China, and is subject to the Chinese regime’s national intelligence law that requires all organizations and citizens to support the state in collecting intelligence.
“Setting aside this court order—which was government policy a year ago—sends troubling signals for our national security and the integrity of our data protection,” she said.
Security Concerns
TikTok’s Chinese ownership has raised concerns among security agencies, with then-FBI Director Christopher Wray saying in 2022 that the Chinese regime could use the app to “control data collection on millions of users or control the recommendation algorithm.” He said this could be used by the company for influence operations or to control software and compromise personal devices.
Canadian Security Intelligence Services Director Daniel Rogers said in 2024 that authoritarian states like Beijing use big data collected from social media platforms such as TikTok “to carry out foreign interference activities.”
Ottawa banned the use of TikTok on government devices in February 2023, citing concerns of an “unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security.” Then-Treasury Board President Mona Fortier said TikTok’s data collection methods “provide considerable access to the contents of the phone,” and said there were concerns about the laws governing the information collected.
Government officials also raised concerns with Canada’s Foreign Influence Commission in 2024 about social media platforms like TikTok being used by the Chinese regime to target youth in an effort to shape future Western leaders.
The United States has also recently raised national security concerns about TikTok, with U.S. President Donald Trump issuing an executive order in 2025 to give the company time to divest its U.S. operations to avoid a ban. A deal finalized on Jan. 22 created a U.S.-based joint venture, with American companies taking the lead on data and security, while ByteDance retained a minority stake.