After President Joe Biden signed legislation earlier this year that requires TikTok parent ByteDance to divest the app or face a ban on U.S. app stores, Canada has taken action to eliminate the company’s physical footprint there.
The Canadian government has ordered the social video service to shutter its two offices in the country, citing national security concerns engendered by its presence there.
“We came to the conclusion that these activities that were conducted in Canada by TikTok and their offices would be injurious to national security,” Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne told CBC News.
“I’m not at liberty to go into much detail, but I know Canadians would understand when you’re saying the government of Canada is taking measures 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 end.
TikTok and Chinese-owned parent ByteDance have faced scrutiny across the globe, with Canada, Belgium and the European Union, the UK and the U.S. banning it from use on government phones.
Last year, the company was hit with a $368 million fine by Euro regulators for failing to protect the privacy of children.
Last month, a bi-partisan group of 14 state attorneys general filed a lawsuit against juggernaut TikTok for misleading the public about the safety of its platform and harming young people’s mental health.
