Canadian Regulators Investigate TikTok for Data Collection From Young Users

The Canadian government is not growing any fonder of TikTok.

The country's Privacy Commissioner recently launched a joint federal and provincial investigation to determine if TikTok collects data from its users, particularly young children.

The investigation follows the ongoing international trend of countries investigating TikTok over privacy concerns, such as the ones initiated in the US, France, and Ireland, per Tech Crunch.

Canada TikTok Joint Investigation Details

Canada's Office of the Privacy Commissioner announced in a statement that the joint investigation launched will examine whether TikTok's practices comply with the country's privacy legislation and if it obtains valid and meaningful consent for the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information.

The joint investigation will also determine if TikTok is meeting its transparency obligations, especially when it comes to the collection of personal information from its users, particularly of young children, since they make up "an important proportion of the social media platform's users."

To be exact, the joint investigation will examine TIkTOk's compliance with the following Canadian privacy protection laws:

• Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act
• Act Respecting the Protection of Personal Information in the Private Sector
• Act to Establish a Legal Framework for Information Technology in Québec.
• Personal Information Protection Act in British Columbia and Alberta

The joint federal and provincial investigation, which the Privacy Commissioner heads, is joined by the Commission d'accès à l'information du Québec and the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia. The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta is also included in the agencies conducting the joint investigation.

Canada's privacy regulators launched this joint investigation "in the wake of now settled class action lawsuits in the US and Canada," along with many reports related to TikTok's collection, use, and disclosure of personal information.

You may remember that the US is currently undergoing a vote to determine if it should pass a bill aimed at blocking TikTok in the US, while the country, along with the EU has banned the social media platform from government-owned devices and staff phones, per Reuters and Republican senator Marco Rubio.

TikTok Welcomes The Investigation

TikTok, meanwhile, mentioned to CTV News that it welcomes the opportunity to work with Canada's federal and provincial authorities to "set the record straight" with Canadians.

According to a TikTok spokesperson, the privacy and safety of its community, particularly of its younger users, is always a top priority for the company. They also mentioned that TikTok is committed to operating "with transparency to earn and maintain the trust" of its Canadian users who create and find joy in its platform.

Whatever the results of the investigation will be, it will nevertheless add another potential thorn in Sino-Canadian relations, which have already been tense for various reasons.

Canada has recently accused China of trying to influence its elections and that it has been running air and maritime surveillance activities on the country, though China denies the allegations, saying that Canada should stop unwarranted speculation and smearing.