Ottawa's TikTok order sends mixed messages to users, experts say

Canadian authorities ordered Tik Tok to shut down but did not ban the app. According to digital media experts, this has caused confusion among users.

Richard Lachman says the government's messaging about the order has been vague because it suggests there is a problem with TikTok, but doesn't give them enough information to know how much to worry about the social media platform.

Philip May, associate director of the Social Media Lab at Metropolitan University of Toronto, agrees. Without knowing more about what's worrying the government, Canadians should consider using TikTok as a personal choice, he says.

The federal government announced Wednesday that it wants to shut down TikTok's operations in Canada because of national security risks, but has yet to outline its specific concerns about the platform.

Lawmakers and security experts in other countries worry that TikTok's Chinese parent company, ByteDance, may be forced to help its home country collect information, putting other countries and their citizens at risk.

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