A Canadian federal court has overturned a government order to liquidate TikTok's Canadian division. Judge Russell Zinn ordered the case to be sent back to Industry Minister Mélanie Joly for reconsideration. This decision allows the platform, which has over 14 million users in the country, to continue its operations for now. This is reported by Reuters, writes UNN.
Details
The order to shut down TikTok's business was issued in November 2024 due to national security concerns. The Canadian government justified this by the risks of user data collection by China, as the service is owned by ByteDance Ltd.
TikTok to strengthen age verification for users in the EU16.01.26, 18:22 • [views_4170]
Despite the demand to liquidate the legal entity, Ottawa did not block citizens' access to the application itself. TikTok representatives welcomed the court decision and expressed their readiness for further cooperation with the ministry to resolve the dispute.
Economic and geopolitical factors
The court case comes amid attempts by Prime Minister Mark Carney to strengthen economic ties with China. This is considered a strategic move to offset the damage the Canadian economy has suffered due to the imposition of US tariffs. At the same time, Canada remains part of a group of countries that are scrutinizing the app's activities due to its Chinese origin and Beijing's potential to use the platform to promote its interests.