The Liberal government asked for an examination of the well-liked video application TikTok in September 2023 but did not make it known to the public.
This information emerged following the approval of a bill by the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday, calling for a ban on TikTok unless its Chinese owner sells its ownership.
According to the federal industry minister’s office, on Sept. 6, the cabinet issued an order for the national security review of TikTok Canada.
The office stated that the review was prompted by the expansion of a previous business, which signified the creation of a new Canadian entity, but declined to give additional details.
Although orders from the cabinet are usually published online, the minister’s office explained that this particular order was not accessible due to confidentiality protection under the Investment Canada Act.
The office mentioned that TikTok would undergo “enhanced scrutiny” under the act as part of a new policy on foreign investments in the interactive digital media sector released by the government earlier in the month.
