Court allows TikTok to operate in Canada pending review

TikTok under the Canada Investment Act was advised to shut down its operations following a previous decision, while a federal court on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, overturned a government order to ban TikTok, allowing the short-video app to keep operating for, now, and told Ottawa to review the case.

In November 2024, Canada's industry ministry ordered TikTok's business to be dissolved, citing national security risks, but added the government was not blocking access or users' ability to create content.

TikTok, which says it has more than 14 million monthly users in Canada, appealed the decision.

In a short judgment, federal court judge Russel Zinn set aside the order and sent the matter back to Industry Minister Melanie Joly for review.

The industry ministry said Joly "will now proceed with a new national security review," adding that it was not in a position to comment further, citing legal confidentiality provisions.

In a statement, TikTok welcomed the decision and said it looked forward to work with Joly.

Prime Minister Mark Carney has been seeking closer ties to China to help offset the damage done to the Canadian economy by U.S. tariffs.

Canada and other nations have been scrutinizing TikTok because of concerns China could use the app to harvest users' data or advance its interests.

Last September, TikTok owned by Chinese company ByteDance, agreed to improve its measures to keep children off its Canadian website and app after an investigation found its efforts to block children and protect personal information were inadequate.