Photo Credit: Rubaitul Azad
A federal court overturns the Canadian government’s order to shut down TikTok Canada’s operations, while “TikTok USA” remains murky on the horizon.
A federal court judge in Canada has overturned the prior government’s order to shutter TikTok Canada’s business operations, forcing Industry Minister Mélanie Joly to reassess the app’s use in the country. The government’s order, issued under then-Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne, would have seen—and could still see—the platform’s Canadian offices shut down over national security concerns.
“We welcome the decision to set aside the order to shut down TikTok Canada, and look forward to working with the Minister towards a resolution that’s in the best interest of the more than 14 million Canadians using TikTok,” said TikTok Canada spokesperson Danielle Morgan. “Keeping TikTok’s Canadian team in place will enable a path forward that continues to support millions of dollars of investment in Canada and hundreds of local jobs.”
In 2024, the Canadian government, under Industry Minister Champagne, ordered that TikTok wind down business operations in Canada over concerns that the platform’s Beijing-based parent company, ByteDance, could possess sensitive user data.
These concerns echo those of other Western governments—including the United States, where talk of a forthcoming “TikTok USA” remains pertinent to the platform’s future in the country.
But the details surrounding TikTok USA remain murky at best. President Trump continues to insist that the company is definitely spinning off into a U.S.-based entity that is owned and operated by a consortium of U.S. investors. He’s even issued multiple executive orders and official statements about it. So TikTok is “saved” in the United States, right?
Well, that depends. Chinese officials have barely acknowledged any such deal, despite the Trump team’s confidence that they were about to secure approval for their proposal back in September.
And even now, the most recent update on that front was that TikTok had begun telling staff internally that they would continue to be employed by ByteDance under a new U.S. entity. That signals that ByteDance will be more involved with any “TikTok USA” than U.S. government officials would have you believe.
The fact remains that since Trump threatened to impose “100% tariffs” on Chinese goods, Chinese officials have understandably been less willing to play ball on any potential TikTok deal. Which means that we will probably continue to see Trump kick the proverbial can down the road to delay the federal ban on TikTok from taking effect.
