Canada court overturns order to shut TikTok’s Canadian operations, asks Ottawa to review case

Canada’s Federal Court on Wednesday overturned a government order directing TikTok to dissolve its Canadian business operations, allowing the popular short-video platform to continue operating in the country for now.

The decision relates to an order issued in November 2024 by Canada’s industry ministry, which instructed TikTok’s business in Canada to be shut down, citing national security concerns. At the time, the government clarified that it was not blocking access to the app, nor restricting users from creating content.

TikTok, owned by Chinese firm ByteDance, challenged the order in court. In a brief judgment, Federal Court Judge Russel Zinn set aside the dissolution order and sent the matter back to Industry Minister Melanie Joly for reconsideration. The judge did not provide reasons in the ruling.

In response, the industry ministry said Joly “will now proceed with a new national security review,” adding that it could not comment further due to legal confidentiality provisions.

TikTok welcomed the court’s decision in a statement and said it looked forward to working with the minister. The company says it has more than 14 million monthly users in Canada.

Canada, like several other countries, has faced growing scrutiny over TikTok amid concerns that China could potentially use the platform to collect user data or influence public discourse. In September 2024, TikTok also agreed to strengthen measures to prevent children from using its Canadian services after an investigation raised concerns over its safeguards related to minors and personal information.

The ruling comes as Prime Minister Mark Carney has been seeking improved ties with China in an attempt to soften the impact of U.S. tariffs on the Canadian economy.

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