The Canadian government has concluded its national security review of TikTok Technology Canada, allowing the company to continue its business operations in the country under new legally binding conditions.
The decision by Industry Minister Mélanie Joly follows “a thorough assessment of the information and evidence gathered during the review process, including advice from Canada’s security and intelligence community.” The new undertakings require TikTok to implement enhanced protections for Canadians’ personal data, including security gateways and privacy-enhancing technologies to control access to user information. TikTok must also strengthen safeguards for minors, consistent with the findings of a joint investigation by Canada’s privacy commissioners that found the platform had failed to keep children under 14 off the service. An independent third-party monitor will be appointed to audit data access controls, mirroring a similar arrangement in the European Union.
The decision preserves TikTok’s physical presence in Toronto and Vancouver. The company committed to invest in Canadian culture and support creators, artists, and content in both official and Indigenous languages.
The original November 2024 order, issued under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government, directed TikTok’s parent company ByteDance to dissolve its Canadian subsidiary. The order cited national security risks tied to Chinese intelligence laws and targeted only TikTok’s corporate operations; the app itself was never banned for Canadian users.
TikTok challenged the order in Federal Court. In January 2026, Judge Russel Zinn set the directive aside on consent of both parties and sent the matter back to Joly for a fresh review.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has pursued closer economic ties with China to offset the impact of U.S. tariffs on Canada. ByteDance separately restructured TikTok’s U.S. operations through a majority American-owned joint venture involving Oracle. TikTok said more than 14 million Canadians use the platform monthly.
