OTTAWA: Canada in September ordered a national security review of a proposal by TikTok to expand the short-video app’s business in the country, the industry ministry said on Thursday (Mar 14).
The potential outcome of the review, which could range from Canada asking TikTok to take mitigation measures to even blocking the expansion, could add to the company’s growing woes.
On Wednesday, the US House passed a bill to force TikTok’s Chinese owner ByteDance to divest the US assets of the app or face a ban. The measure is the latest in a series of moves in Washington to respond to US national security concerns about China, from connected vehicles to advanced artificial intelligence chips to cranes at US ports.
The Canadian review is focused only on TikTok’s investment plan, according to a statement from the ministry of industry, meaning it is unlikely to result in an outright ban like the one proposed in the US.
“Our government is closely following developments related to the bill being proposed by US lawmakers,” a government spokesperson said. The spokesperson declined to comment on the specifics of Canada’s reviews but added it was not related to the US bill.
