Canada’s federal court has invalidated a government directive to shut down TikTok’s operations in Canada, permitting the popular short-form video app to continue its services for the time being. Federal court judge Russel Zinn, in a brief ruling on Wednesday, overturned the order and referred the matter back to Industry Minister Mélanie Joly for reassessment without providing specific reasons.
In response, a spokesperson from Innovation, Science, and Economic Development Canada conveyed to CBC News that the issue will now undergo a new national security review under the minister’s purview. TikTok expressed satisfaction with the court’s decision to set aside the closure order, emphasizing their eagerness to collaborate with the minister to reach a resolution beneficial to the over 14 million Canadian TikTok users.
The company spokesperson highlighted that maintaining TikTok’s Canadian team intact will facilitate a constructive way forward, sustaining substantial investments in Canada and numerous local job opportunities. Initially, in November 2024, Canada’s industry ministry had instructed the dissolution of TikTok’s business citing national security concerns, although it clarified that access for users to the platform would not be restricted. TikTok, subsequently, challenged this directive.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has been actively pursuing stronger relations with China to mitigate the negative impacts of U.S. tariffs on the Canadian economy. TikTok, being owned by Chinese firm ByteDance, has come under scrutiny by Canada and other countries over apprehensions that Beijing might exploit the app for data collection or to advance its strategic goals.
In a separate incident last September, TikTok committed to enhancing its measures to prevent children from accessing its Canadian platform following an investigation that revealed inadequacies in its safeguards for children and personal information protection.