Canadian Court Halts TikTok Shutdown Order, Allows Operations to Continue
TikTok’s operations in Canada will not be shut down for now, as the country’s Federal Court has overturned the government’s directive to suspend the platform’s Canadian business activities and has ordered the industry minister to review the matter afresh. As a result, the short-video-based social media platform will be able to continue operating for the time being. Reuters reported the development.
In November 2024, Canada’s Ministry of Industry had ordered TikTok to wind up its business operations in the country, citing concerns over national security risks. At the time, however, users were not restricted from accessing the app or creating content. TikTok, which has more than 14 million monthly users in Canada, challenged the decision by filing an appeal with the court.
In a brief ruling, Judge Russell Zinn struck down the directive and sent the matter back to Industry Minister Mélanie Joly for reconsideration, although no detailed reasoning was provided in support of the decision. The Ministry of Industry has since stated that a fresh national security review will be initiated.
TikTok welcomed the ruling and expressed its willingness to work with the Canadian government.
It is worth noting that the app, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, has been under scrutiny in Canada and several other countries over concerns related to data security and user privacy.
DBTech/BMT/OR
