Ottawa secretly ordered national security review of TikTok

Article content material

OTTAWA — The federal Liberals ordered a nationwide safety overview of standard video app TikTok in September 2023 however didn’t disclose it publicly.

“That is nonetheless an ongoing case. We will’t remark additional due to the confidentiality provisions of the Funding Canada Act,” a spokesperson for Business Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne mentioned.

Article content material

“Our authorities has by no means hesitated to (take) motion, when needed, if a case underneath overview is discovered to be injurious to Canada’s nationwide safety.”

Article content material

The revelation comes after the U.S. Home of Representatives handed a invoice Wednesday to ban TikTok except its China-based proprietor sells its stake within the enterprise.

Requested whether or not the Canadian authorities would think about a measure much like the U.S. invoice, Champagne’s workplace mentioned that the Liberal cupboard “issued an order for the nationwide safety overview of TikTok Canada” on Sept. 6.

It mentioned the overview was primarily based on the growth of a enterprise, which it mentioned constituted the institution of a brand new Canadian entity. It declined to supply any additional particulars about what growth it was reviewing.

The workplace mentioned the cupboard order was not accessible on-line, as is routine, as a result of the knowledge is protected and confidential underneath the Funding Canada Act.

It indicated TikTok could be topic to “enhanced scrutiny” underneath the act underneath a brand new coverage on international investments within the interactive digital media sector launched by the federal government earlier this month.

That coverage assertion says “hostile state-sponsored or influenced actors could search to leverage international investments within the interactive digital media sector to propagate disinformation or manipulate info in a way that’s injurious to Canada’s nationwide safety.”

Article content material

Article content material

The federal authorities banned TikTok from its cell gadgets in February 2023 after federal and provincial privateness commissioners launched their very own investigation into the platform.

The Canadian overview shouldn’t be associated to the proposed U.S. invoice, which is pushed by issues that the corporate’s present possession construction is a nationwide safety menace.

TikTok is an entirely owned subsidiary of Chinese language expertise agency ByteDance Ltd.

U.S. lawmakers contend ByteDance is beholden to the Chinese language authorities, which might demand entry to the info of TikTok’s U.S. customers, given Chinese language nationwide safety legal guidelines that compel organizations to help with intelligence gathering.

The invoice should nonetheless go the Senate, the place lawmakers have indicated it can endure an intensive overview. U.S. President Joe Biden has mentioned if Congress passes the measure, he’ll signal it.

Almost 30 per cent of Canadian respondents to an October 2022 survey by Toronto Metropolitan College mentioned they have been on TikTok.

Article content material

For a lot of Canadian creators who make TikTok content material, the U.S. market is paramount, mentioned Scott Benzie, govt director of Digital First Canada. The group advocates for digital creators, and has prior to now obtained funding from TikTok.

“If a ban truly goes by within the U.S., Canadian careers on TikTok are over,” he mentioned.

Along with shedding viewers attain, for creators who earn cash by sponsorships, “clearly most of these manufacturers wish to join with U.S. audiences, and if that’s not a chance then that cash simply goes away.”

Nathan Kennedy, a private finance content material creator from Hamilton, Ont., mentioned he’s “fairly calm” concerning the state of affairs, noting threats to ban TikTok have been round for years.

TikTok is his largest platform, and nearly all of his viewers is in the USA. He grew to become a full-time content material creator two-and-a half years in the past.

“You type of simply need to be even-keel about the entire thing … I actually can not do something. It’s not even in my nation,” he mentioned.

He mentioned it’s exhausting to imagine a ban will truly occur that causes TikTok to exit the U.S.

Article content material

But when the hypothetical worst-case state of affairs does occur, Kennedy mentioned he would flip to different platforms.

“Individuals are going to be watching content material. That’s not going to alter. It’s the place they watch their content material which may change over time,” he mentioned.

“I don’t wish to sound like I’m being very nonchalant right here. But it surely’s a kind of issues that you must settle for, that it’s not your platform, it’s not your enterprise. And also you type of need to go to the place the eye is.”

— With recordsdata from The Related Press.

Our web site is the place for the newest breaking information, unique scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and join our every day e-newsletter, Posted, right here.

Article content material