Canada’s federal court on wednesday (Jan 21), overturned a government order that would have shut down TikTok’s operations in the country, allowing the short-video platform to continue functioning for now, and directed Ottawa to review the case. In November 2024, Canada’s industry ministry had ordered TikTok’s business to be dissolved, citing national security concerns, though it did not block access to the app or prevent users from creating content. TikTok, which reports over 14 million monthly users in Canada, appealed the decision.

Federal court Judge Russel Zinn, in a brief ruling, set aside the order and referred the matter back to Industry Minister Melanie Joly for review, without providing any explanation. The industry ministry stated that Joly “will now proceed with a new national security review” but could not provide further comments due to legal confidentiality rules. TikTok welcomed the court’s decision and said it looked forward to cooperating with Joly.

Prime Minister Mark Carney has been pursuing closer ties with China to mitigate the impact of US tariffs on the Canadian economy. Concerns over TikTok’s ownership by Chinese company ByteDance have drawn scrutiny from Canada and other countries, with fears that China could use the app to collect user data or advance its interests. Last September, TikTok agreed to strengthen its safeguards to prevent children from accessing its Canadian platform after an investigation found its previous measures to protect minors and personal data were insufficient.