Canada joins the list of countries that consider TikTok a national security danger. It is also one of the countries that has chosen the solution of blocking the application in the country. However, they have done it in a very peculiar way. A TikTok ban that targets the company, but does so without affecting the daily lives of users.
What has been blocked. As described by Reuters, Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne issued a statement explaining that “the government of Canada is taking measures to address specific national security risks related to ByteDance Ltd’s operations in Canada through TikTok Technology Canada. Inc.”
That is, the North American country has decided to block the Canadian subsidiary of TikTok, applying Canadian law that allows blocking foreign investments that may pose a risk to national security.
Offices and jobs. Canada’s ban on TikTok affects the company’s offices in the country. The Government has decided to block the company and its operations, but not access to the application.
“Closing TikTok’s Canadian offices and destroying hundreds of well-paying local jobs is not in anyone’s best interest, and the closure order will do just that,” TikTok explains in a statement. “We will challenge this order in court,” the company says.
What was the trigger? The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) has been the organization that has caused this decision. Its latest report warns of the risks of China accessing Canadians’ data and using this information in the long term, especially the data of young users.
David Vigneault, director of Canada’s intelligence agency, explained in an interview that “TikTok is available to the Chinese government.” Data that seems harmless but “can be used to try to manipulate certain objectives” of the Chinese government in the future.
The trick: users can continue using TikTok. Canada’s blockade is striking because despite targeting the company directly, it is designed so that it does not affect users. Although its use is clearly not recommended, the Canadian government leaves it up to citizens to use the application or not.
Access to TikTok is managed by ByteDance. Canada has banned the operations of TikTok Canada, but it is not in its hands to control the application, so users can continue using it.
Europe, the United States and India are also closely monitoring TikTok. Canada is not the only country that has classified TikTok as a national security problem. However, the scope of the measures against this company depends on each location.
In India it is totally prohibited. In the United States, a law was passed to prohibit it unless it was sold, but it has not been applied yet (they have until mid-January). In Europe, TikTok maintains a fight against regulatory bodies. The company tried to avoid being considered a “gatekeeper” under the Digital Markets Act in court, but the court ruled in favor of the European Commission.
The Canadian way: ban TikTok without banning it. Each country manages it in its own way, but Canada has gone ahead with a direct yet flexible solution. The Canadian government classifies TikTok as a clear danger and, under national security arguments, chooses to block the company. But at the same time it focuses on the corporate part and not on the application itself.
It remains to be seen what impact this solution will have, but it shows a way beyond blocking the application itself, which could easily be bypassed using VPNs.
Imagen | Janne Simoes | TechInsider
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