Tik-ing Time Bomb – Canada’s Crackdown On The Business Of TikTok

Yesterday afternoon, the Canadian government ordered TikTok to shutter its business operations in the country.

There’s not a lot of information about why this is happening and what the expected outcome will be (more on this right here: Canada orders shutdown of TikTok’s Canadian business, app access to continue).
The government is citing national security concerns over potential spying and data access by the Chinese government.
TikTok claims otherwise.

Users can still access the app, watch and create content as normal – nothing is changing on this front.

The business operations (which, basically, sells ads to Canadian advertisers) is being forced to close.
If someone is spying on Canadians… is it happening in the app or in the office that sells advertising space?
Why close the ad sales offices but leave the entire platform as it is, if it is such a threat?
Also, the threat of surveillance and data harvesting isn’t limited to TikTok… don’t all social media platforms do this to their users?
Shouldn’t all media platforms have to adhere to same security, privacy and data laws?

Banning the local advertising operations does nothing in this case.

TikTok has become an increasingly vital channel for businesses, creators, and consumers.
And let’s not forget the broader impact on the Canadian media and advertising ecosystem.
Shutting down the company’s local operations could disrupt the livelihoods of countless media professionals and small-to-medium enterprises.
What’s to stop TikTok from simply selling ads in the US to Canadian advertisers and geo-targeting the messages to Canadians?
Can Canadian brands simply build their own TikTok channels and advertise/market directly to Canadian consumers?
Is this an algorithm problem?

Where’s the transparency?

As Canadian citizens, aren’t we entitled to understand the real motivations behind this decision?
How does it align with broader data privacy and security efforts across all media/social media platforms?
What is the balance between individual privacy and public interest, and the ability of citizens to access diverse sources of information?
As this continues to unfold, let’s hope that policymakers will provide a clear and comprehensive explanation why selling media in Canada must be banned, but leaving the entire platform accessible as it is makes sense.

And let’s hope for an answer that truly serves the best interests of all Canadians.

This is what Andrew Carter and I discussed on CJAD 800 AM. Listen in right here.

https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1952271715

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