How do U.S. decisions about TikTok impact Canada?
U.S. President Joe Biden has signed a bill that will force TikTok to be sold or be banned in his country, but what does it mean for Canada?
Speaking with CTV News London, tech expert Carmi Levi said it's an ecosystem that doesn't stop at the border because millions of Canadians with audiences in the U.S. use TikTok.
"We look at TikTok as this lighthearted app where people dance and share videos that really don't have much consequence, but in reality, it is the centre of a very significant ecosystem. When you correlate the numbers to Canada, it's billions of dollars and tens of thousands of Canadians who have built their careers and their businesses on this app...on both sides of the border," said Levi.
Even though this law will not directly impact Canadians, Levi added if it compromises TikTok in the U.S., it's going to spill over the border and have a significant impact on a lot of Canadians who depend on this for their livelihood.
As frightening as the headlines may seem, that it's going to shut down, Levi said we're still nowhere near there.
"We've gotten a little bit closer because of the Senate decision and the vote, and it moves one step closer, but there are a lot of obstacles ahead of the company before it gets to that. So the possibility of this coming true, of an app becoming dark in an entire country, it really is unprecedented and we likely will not see it get to that point. I suspect saner heads will prevail between now and then and we will see some kind of compromise that allows TikTok to continue to operate, and allows the U.S. government to essential save face and say 'We've done what we can to protect Americans from foreign entities spying on them through their phone,'" said Levi.
The federal Liberals ordered a national security review of TikTok last September, and the app has been banned from federal government devices.
The bill passed in the U.S. Senate would force TikTok's parent company, Beijing-based ByteDance, to sell the social-media app within the year or face an American ban.
— With files from CTV News London's Reta Ismail and The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Some structural damage' from wildfire near Fort Nelson, B.C., mayor confirms
More than one home has been damaged or lost due to a massive wildfire outside of the B.C. community of Fort Nelson, the mayor confirmed Wednesday.
'Very expensive lunch': Sask. driver says he got a cellphone ticket for using his points app in the drive-thru
A warning from a Saskatoon driver about using your fast-food app while in the drive-thru line — a trip to get some free lunch cost him a lot more than he bargained for.
B.C. YouTuber ordered to pay $350K for 'relentless' online defamation campaign
An 'unrepentant' YouTuber has been ordered to pay $350,000 in damages as compensation for a 'relentless' campaign of defamation waged online against a business owner and his company, the B.C. Supreme Court has ruled.
Chief says grave search at B.C. residential school brings things 'full circle'
Chief Robert Michell says relief isn't the right word to describe his reaction as the search begins for unmarked graves at the site of a former residential school he attended in northern British Columbia.
'Endless Shrimp' just one misstep for Red Lobster as it eyes bankruptcy protection
While it's unclear what these closures might mean for the 27 restaurants in Canada, Red Lobster is expected to file for bankruptcy protection in the U.S. this month.
B.C. man shot sex worker in the back during drug-fuelled birthday, court hears
A man from B.C.'s Lower Mainland has been sentenced to four years behind bars after shooting a sex worker in the back during a drug-fuelled 43rd birthday.
'Inhumane conditions': 68 dogs pulled from Winnipeg home
Nearly six dozen dogs were seized from a home Wednesday morning by the Winnipeg Humane Society. It is the largest known seizure of animals in the city’s history.
Ontario's 'Crypto King' Aiden Pleterski arrested
Of the $40-million Aiden Pleterski was handed over two years, documents show he invested just over one per cent and instead spent $15.9 million on "his personal lifestyle." The 25-year-old Oshawa, Ont. man was arrested and charged with fraud and money laundering on Tuesday.
Driver said he smoked pot oil, took medication before Florida crash that killed 8 Mexican workers
A man with a long record of dangerous driving told investigators he smoked marijuana oil and took prescription drugs hours before he sideswiped a bus, killing eight Mexican farmworkers and injuring dozens more, according to an arrest report unsealed Wednesday.