Experts deplore Ottawa's lack of consistency in dealing with TikTok

Photo: Adrian Wyld Archives The Canadian Press TikTok has long fought any suggestion that it conducts intelligence gathering on behalf of China and said Wednesday it would contest a request to dissolve its Canadian branch.

Tara Deschamps – The Canadian Press in Toronto

Published yesterday at 10:39 p.m.

• Canada

By ordering TikTok to shut down its Canadian operations but not banning the app, the federal government is sending mixed messages that make it too difficult for the average user to decide whether to stay on the platform, digital media experts say.

They say the government’s serious action against TikTok without addressing access to its flagship product is creating confusion for users simply trying to figure out whether Ottawa’s decision should justify disconnecting them from the app.

“It’s a very mixed message … to say we see problems here, but you do what you want,” said Richard Lachman, an associate professor at Metropolitan University of Toronto’s Radio and Television Arts School of Media.

Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne's request for dissolution Thursday night to TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance stemmed from information uncovered during a national security review and advice received from the intelligence community and government partners.

Mr. Champagne did not provide details on what exactly was discovered that prompted the government to take action against TikTok.

“They basically said nothing,” said Brett Caraway, a professor of media economics at the University of Toronto.

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“They just said there were concerns that were raised within the Canadian intelligence community and perhaps some external partners outside of Canada, but if I don’t know what the nature of those concerns are, then nothing is actionable for me.”

TikTok was banned from government mobile devices in February 2023 amid an investigation into the company by federal and provincial privacy commissioners.

Lawmakers and security experts in other countries have expressed concern that TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, could be forced to help the company’s home country collect intelligence, putting other nations and their citizens at risk.

TikTok has long fought any suggestion that it conducts intelligence-gathering activities on behalf of China and said Wednesday it would challenge Mr. Champagne’s order because the request would mean the closure of TikTok’s Canadian offices and the loss of hundreds of jobs.

A platform that remains available

The order, however, does not block Canadian users from accessing TikTok or posting content on the platform.

“I don’t understand why on the one hand they’re saying this app is a national security risk, but they’re still allowing Canadians to use it,” said Philip Mai, co-director of Metropolitan University of Toronto’s Social Media Lab.

While he was not clear on what the government was concerned about, he said Canadians should consider using TikTok as a personal choice.

That’s exactly what the government has advised, though it has suggested people shouldn’t be complacent about online security either.

Champagne urged Canadians to “adopt good cybersecurity practices and assess the potential risks associated with using social media platforms and applications, including how their information may be protected, managed, used and shared by foreign actors, and to be aware of the laws of the country that apply.”

Following Champagne’s advice is no easy task, Lachman said.

“Individuals are not experts on the privacy implications of this or that application,” he said.

“This is the kind of thing [where] we need a government to step in and say if there is a real reason to be concerned and here is what it is or here are the measures we have taken”.

In the absence of further information, Lachman said all people can do is wait and see if the government says more.

“It’s never good to say we have to wait and see, but this feels like one of those cases,” he said.

“My kids are on TikTok, but I’m not giving them any more advice than I would have given yesterday, which is: Think about using these apps, but think about them in general, not TikTok in particular.”