TikTok Ordered to Close Canadian Offices “To Protect National Security”

After President Joe Biden signed a law earlier this year requiring TikTok parent ByteDance to divest the app or face a ban from U.S. app stores, Canada took action to eliminate the company's physical footprint there .

The Canadian government has ordered the social video service to close its two offices in the country, citing national security concerns raised by its presence there.

“We concluded that these activities carried out by TikTok and its offices in Canada would harm national security,” Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne told CBC News.

“I'm not at liberty to go into too much detail, but I know Canadians would understand if you said the Canadian government is taking action to protect national security, that's serious.”

Canadian users will still be able to access the app, but the company's physical presence in the region will be discontinued.

TikTok and its Chinese-owned parent company ByteDance have been the focus of criticism around the world: Canada, Belgium, the European Union, the United Kingdom and the United States have banned its use on government phones.

Last year the company was fined $368 million by Euro regulators for failing to protect children's privacy.

Last month, a bipartisan group of 14 state attorneys general filed a lawsuit against juggernaut TikTok for misleading the public about the safety of its platform and harming the mental health of young people.