TikTok Saved at the Last Minute, Canada Gave a Green Light to Operate

Canadian Minister of Industry, Mélanie Joly (photo x: @melaniejoly)

JAKARTA - The Canadian government has finally given the green light for the short video application TikTok to continue operating in the country. This reverses a previous decision ordering the company to shut down its operations due to national security concerns.

Canadian Industry Minister Mélanie Joly said on Monday, March 9, that the company's local unit, TikTok Technology Canada Inc., is now allowed to operate again on the condition that it meets a number of new legally binding commitments related to improving user data security.

"TikTok will add security gateways and privacy protection technologies to control access to Canadian user data to reduce the risk of unauthorized or prohibited access," Joly said in a statement.

This decision is a fairly drastic policy change. In November 2024, the government of then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ordered TikTok's owner, ByteDance, to stop its subsidiary's operations in Canada. The order does not ban the use of the application, but will force TikTok's offices in Toronto and Vancouver to close.

But the decision was frozen in January 2026 after the government filed a new legal move to review the policy. The move came just days after Canada's new Prime Minister Mark Carney made an official visit to China, the first visit by a Canadian leader to the country in more than eight years.

During the visit, Carney met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and announced an agreement to ease trade tariffs between the two countries, a signal of a warming of economic relations that had frozen.

After the latest security review, the Canadian government concluded that TikTok could continue to operate as long as it complied with stricter data protection systems. In addition to adding digital security systems, the company is also required to increase protection for children's users.

The Canadian government will also appoint an independent third-party monitor tasked with conducting ongoing audits and verifications of user data access controls.

"Independent supervisors will ensure that the data access control system runs according to the agreed commitment," said Joly.

TikTok welcomed the decision and said it would strengthen support for content creators and cultural organizations in Canada. The company also reaffirmed its commitment to user data security.

TikTok currently has around 16 million users in Canada, or more than 35 percent of the country's population.

Globally, TikTok's ownership and operations continue to be in the spotlight of various governments, especially regarding data security issues and the potential influence of the Chinese government.

As part of its business restructuring in the United States, TikTok in January also formed a new entity in the US with three major managing investors, namely the technology company Oracle Corporation, investment firm Silver Lake Management, and Abu Dhabi investment company MGX.