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Image source: cottonbro studio from Pexels
Canada is conducting a national security review of Chinese company TikTok’s proposal to expand the popular video app in the country, Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said on Friday.
Champagne said during a conference call in Italy after meeting with G7 leaders that the review under the Canada Investment Act had quietly started in September 2023.
“We have initiated a national security review (of TikTok),” he told reporters.
“Once we complete that work, we will inform Canadians of any action we decide to take on that particular topic,” he said.
“I will have more to say when our review is complete,” the minister added, without specifying when.
Champagne pointed out that it was announced in March 2023 that foreign investment in Canada’s interactive digital media sector would face “strict scrutiny.”
According to the policy statement, those found to be “spreading false information or manipulating information in a manner that harms Canada’s national security” may face mitigation measures or even bans.
The Canadian review is not related to a proposed U.S. bill that would force its Chinese owners to sell the product or have it banned in the United States.
The bill was driven in part by concerns about China’s national security laws, which force organizations to assist in intelligence gathering.
TikTok is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Chinese technology company ByteDance Co., Ltd.
“Of course, we are watching the ongoing debate in the United States,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said after the U.S. House of Representatives passed the bill on Thursday, which still needs Senate approval.
Ottawa banned the use of TikTok on federal government mobile devices in February 2023.
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