Federal government reveals it ordered national security review of TikTok

The federal Liberals say they ordered a national security review of popular video app TikTok in September 2023, but did not disclose it publicly.

«This is still an ongoing case. We can't comment further because of the confidentiality provisions of the Investment Canada Act,» a spokesperson for Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said this week.

«Our government has never hesitated to (take) action, when necessary, if a case under review is found to be injurious to Canada's national security.»

The revelation comes after the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill Wednesday to ban TikTok unless its China-based owner sells its stake in the business.

Asked whether the Canadian government would consider a measure similar to the U.S. bill, Champagne's office said the Liberal cabinet «issued an order for the national security review of TikTok Canada» on Sept. 6.

It said the review was based on the expansion of a business, which it said constituted the establishment of a new Canadian entity. It declined to provide any further details about what expansion it was reviewing.

The office said the cabinet order was not accessible online, as is routine, because the information is protected and confidential under the Investment Canada Act.

It indicated TikTok would be subject to «enhanced scrutiny» under the act under a new policy on foreign investments in the interactive digital media sector released by the government earlier this month.

That policy statement says «hostile state-sponsored or influenced actors may seek to leverage foreign investments in the interactive digital media sector to propagate disinformation or manipulate information in a manner that is injurious to Canada's national security.»

The federal government banned