Canada’s industry minister, François-Philippe Champagne, announced on Friday that the country is conducting a national security review on the proposed expansion of popular video app TikTok, which is currently owned by a Chinese company.
During a teleconference held in Italy, Champagne revealed that the review of the Investment Canada Act was quietly initiated in September of last year, following his meeting with G7 colleagues.
He informed the media that a review of TikTok’s national security status has been initiated.
“After finishing the task,” he stated, “we will update Canadians on any steps we plan to take regarding that specific subject.”
“I will have further remarks once our evaluation has been finalized,” stated the minister without providing a timeline for its completion.
In March 2023, Champagne revealed that investments from foreign countries in Canada’s interactive digital media industry would be closely examined.
Individuals who are discovered to be spreading false or misleading information that poses a threat to the security of Canada may be subject to precautionary actions or potentially prohibited, as outlined in the policy statement.
The Canadian evaluation does not pertain to a potential US legislation which would mandate its Chinese proprietors to divest or risk being prohibited in the United States.
The legislation is motivated in part by worries about Chinese laws regarding national security, which require companies to aid in collecting intelligence.
TikTok is a company owned entirely by the Chinese-based tech company ByteDance Ltd.
On Thursday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau commented on the current debate in the United States regarding the US House of Representatives’ passing of a bill. The approval of the bill by the Senate is still required.
In February 2023, Ottawa implemented a ban on TikTok for mobile devices used by the federal government.
Source: theguardian.com
