An investigation into TikTok launched by Canada's Privacy Commissioner this week is a symptom of growing unrest around data privacy, but also a sign of the extent of geopolitical tensions, academics say.
The investigation revealed Thursday by the federal privacy watchdog and its counterparts in B.C., Alberta and Quebec is meant to delve into whether the video-based social media platform owned by Beijing-based ByteDance complies with Canadian privacy legislation.
"It's a timely and meaningful way for Canada to enter into a really crucial conversation unfolding in the U.S. the EU and in other parts of the world about incredibly popular and incredibly powerful social media companies," said Sara Grimes, director of the Knowledge Media Design Institute at the University of Toronto, in an email.TikTok, she added, is the focus because the U.S. and the EU have recently banned government staff from using TikTok on work-issued devices.
"Canada has historically been very slow and hesitant to regulate internet and other digital technologies," Grimes said. Three other high-altitude objects were downed over North America in the days that followed and since then, the Globe and Mail newspaper has reported the Canadian military detected Chinese monitoring buoys in the Arctic.
But Bednar believes the launch of the investigation is unlikely to force Canadians to rethink their use of TikTok. The app is designed to be addictive, so people keep watching videos and posting content, so TikTok likely knows people won't easily abandon it.However, Grimes said the discovery of privacy violations or other issues could shift consumer thinking.
Though ByteDance is not based in Canada, it has an office and staff in Toronto and Grimes said Canada's Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act and other privacy laws apply to anyone doing business in the country.
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