Canadian court overturns government order forcing TikTok to shut down operations

A Canadian federal court on Wednesday overturned the government's order requiring TikTok to wind down business operations, according to media reports.

The ruling allows the social media company to continue running its offices while authorities conduct another assessment, CTV News reported.

The decision follows Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's recent visit to China.

No immediate reaction from ByteDance or TikTok has been reported.

The Canadian government ordered TikTok Technology Canada Inc. to cease business operations in November 2024 after a national security review under the Investment Canada Act raised concerns about ByteDance Ltd.'s Canadian entity.

Ottawa cited "specific national security risks related to ByteDance Ltd.'s operations in Canada ... including how ... information is likely to be protected, managed, used and shared by foreign actors," as justification for the directive against the Beijing-based company's subsidiary.

The original order targeted TikTok's corporate operations while permitting Canadian users to continue accessing the app.