Canada has ordered the closure of TikTok’s offices, citing national security concerns. The move does not mean a ban on the app, as Canadians can still use the app, the country’s Minister of Innovation and Science, François-Philippe Champagne, confirmed in a statement “The decision to use a social media application or platform is a personal choice”.
The Canadian authorities did not disclose the clear reasons behind this procedure, but many experts said this closure came after many suspicions that China is exploiting the application to collect users’ personal information, which Canada considers a threat to its national security, while TikTok denies these allegations.
Experts believe that this closure will affect the local jobs that TikTok provides to many Canadians in various fields. This was confirmed by a company spokesperson in a statement, where he said: “Shutting down TikTok’s Canadian offices and destroying hundreds of well-paying local jobs is not in anyone’s best interest, and today’s shutdown order will do just that”.
As everyone knows, the application faced many challenges and conflicts in some Western countries, especially in the United States during Trump’s first term. Now, after Trump won a new term, TikTok’s fears of the return of conflicts are increasing.