TikTok Fights Back Against Canadian Government’s Shutdown Order, Arguing Unfair Treatment

On Wednesday, Bloomberg reported that TikTok had challenged the Canadian government’s order to dissolve its business.

Court documents filed in Vancouver’s Federal Court reveal that TikTok argues the Canadian federal government’s dissolution order not only exceeds officials’ legal authority but is also procedurally unfair and unreasonable. TikTok is requesting that the court overturn this order.

Previously, the Canadian government decided to issue a dissolution order for TikTok Technology Canada Inc. after reviewing national security concerns related to its parent company, ByteDance. According to the documents, Canadian officials began requesting information in March 2023 and launched a national security review in September 2023.

TikTok claims adequate information wasn’t provided to address Canada’s concerns before issuing the dissolution order. A spokesperson for Canada’s Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry stated that the government’s decision was based on a national security review and advice from Canada’s security and intelligence community.

TikTok reportedly has approximately 14 million users in Canada, representing about one-third of the country’s population. The company maintains its offices in Toronto and Vancouver. During the 2021 federal election, TikTok Canada partnered with Elections Canada to support election integrity on the platform.