41,000,000 Canadians just learned their TikTok fate in landmark ruling
The social media giant has faced continued scrutiny
After Canada’s government ordered TikTok to dissolve its business in the country, the future of the firm in the country was left hanging in the balance.
This order was brought forward by the government’s Industry Ministry in November 2024 after it raised concerns about national security.
However, TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, decided to challenge the decision in federal court.
Now, TikTok has had its day in Canadian court, and a judge has made a decision that will be key to the app’s future in Canada.
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What would the TikTok shutdown mean for Canadians?
Unlike the proposed TikTok ban in the US - which only ended up lasting for a day, this order by the Canadian government wouldn’t impact Canadians wanting to access or use the app themselves.
Instead, the order set out to hinder TikTok from continuing its corporate operations within the country, such as its offices.
But yesterday (January 21), a judge put a stop to this order, ruling that the shutdown will not go ahead.
Celebrating the victory, spokesperson for TikTok Canada, Danielle Morgan, said as per Politico: “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.
“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.”
It has since been announced that the Minister of Industry, Mélanie Joly, will conduct a new national security review in the wake of this ruling.
In January last year, TikTok went ‘dark’ for a short period of time in the US as it faced a ban.
When trying to log in, users were met with a pop-up message that read: “Sorry, TikTok isn't available right now. A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the US. Unfortunately, that means you can't use TikTok for now.
“We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!”
An official statement released by the app read: “STATEMENT FROM TIKTOK: In agreement with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service. We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over seven million small businesses to thrive.
“It’s a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship. We will work with President Trump on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the United States.”
For TikTok addicts, it was good news that the ban didn’t last long. Just a day later, it was reinstated as things have largely returned to normal.