TikTok Layoffs Coming? Canada Orders Shutdown of Offices of ByteDance-Owned Short-Video Platform Over Security Risks, But Allows To Continue Service
ByteDance-owned TikTok has reportedly been ordered to shut down its offices in Canada over concerns of national security. According to a report, this action could lead to TikTok layoffs destroying hundreds of jobs in Canada.
Ottawa, November 7: Canada has reportedly ordered the shutdown of TikTok offices amid the risk related to security. This year, the short-video hosting platform faced problems with the United States due to the potential of it collecting and using the data of the users for the Chinese government, compromising national security. This was announced after Donald Trump won the US Presidential Elections in 2024 and because of this, China Tech would be interfered for years to come, said a report.
TechCrunch reported that Canada had ordered to shut down all the operations to Bytedance in the country and close the offices of TikTok Technology Canada, Inc., just like the United States, cited the same reason for shutting down the offices, i.e. national security risks. However, the report said that TikTok's offices were ordered to shut down, not the services. Tech Layoffs 2024: Samsung, Mozilla, X, TikTok, Qualcomm and Others Significantly Reduce Their Workforce This Year, Thousands of Employees Lose Jobs.
TikTokers could still download, use and create content on the platform, and it would also be available for businesses to advertise on. Canada's Minister of Innovation, Science, and Industry, François-Philippe Champagne, said that using social media applications or platforms was a "personal choice." The report hinted that the statement was vague and did not specify the security risks that TikTok posed to national security.
Despite facing criticism, scrutiny and allegations, TikTok maintained that it was not trying to misuse the data by sharing it with China. TikTok is already banned in India over privacy concerns, as Chinese apps likely pose a threat to national security and sovereignty. In the United States, US President Joe Biden signed a bill on April 24, 2024, to ban TikTok, owned by ByteDance.
TikTok Layoffs Coming After Shutdown of Offices in Canada?
According to TechCrunch, TikTok shutting down Canadian offices would result in hundreds of people losing their jobs. It said the well-paying local jobs would be destroyed if the platform closed its offices in the country and the action would not be in "anyone's interest". TikTok spokesperson stated that the company would challenge this order in court. He also added that the platform would remain available for video content creators who would be able to find their audience and explore new interests. The spokesperson said that businesses would also thrive on TikTok. Freshworks Layoffs: AI SaaS Provider Announces Reduction of 13% of Its Global Workforce, Affecting 660 Employees in US, India and Other Countries.
The report said that TikTok recently hired multiple roles in its operations, marketing, and engineering departments. It also mentioned that the platform boasts around 15 million users in Canada, which would tap 41% of the population. Most of the users are adults between the ages of 18 and 24.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 07, 2024 07:46 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).