TikTok content creators worry that Canadian office shutdown will lead to app ban

Naomi Leanage found out that TikTok's Canadian offices were getting shut down from a social media post by one of its employees. 

"I was honestly shocked and disappointed. I've been to the TikTok office in Toronto a few times. They host creators there all the time," said the Toronto-raised, L.A.-based content creator. 

"It's not just this online platform that's in the abyss, it's real people who care about your career."

The federal government recently ordered TikTok to shut down its corporate offices in Toronto and Vancouver, citing national security concerns. Canadian users will still be able to access and post on the app as normal.

Officials in countries including Canada and the U.S. have shared concerns that TikTok — owned by Beijing-based ByteDance — can be forced to share user data with the Chinese government, or be used for foreign interference.

TikTok has defended itself, saying it's headquartered in Los Angeles and Singapore, where ByteDance has also moved its regional HQ. It has also said that it doesn't — and wouldn't — share information with China.

Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne says national security concerns led to the federal government’s decision to close TikTok operations in Canada. Champagne emphasized Canadians can still use the social media app.

Representatives for the company's Canadian offices say the shutdown impacts Canadian employees, and that it will challenge the closures in court.

But for Canadian content creators and influencers, the office shutdown means losing access to corporate employees who'd helped them bring in brand deals and had a vested interest in their careers, which may get less attention compared to those of their U.S. counterparts. And though the federal government has denied it, they now fear the forced closure means a full ban of the app is in the pipeline.

'It does cause a bit of anxiety'

Leanage has over 500,000 followers on her Canadian TikTok account. When she moved to L.A., she kept that account because she was still working with local brands. She also has a U.S. account with fewer followers.

For about a year, she had a dedicated partner-manager through Canada's TikTok offices, who connected her with brands like Spotify and sent her other opportunities, including a chance to walk the red carpet at the Juno Awards.

She said the majority of her brand deals don't come directly from TikTok, so she isn't as concerned about how her income will be affected by the change.

However, she said, "I feel like it does cause a bit of anxiety in terms of, well, what if Canada bans the app completely?

"I feel like this might be a bit of a slippery slope."

@cbcnews The federal government has ordered TikTok to close its Canadian offices over ‘security risks,’ but is still letting Canadians download and use the app. #TikTokban #News #CBCNews #tiktoker #CdnPoli ♬ original sound - CBC News

Canadian TikTok creators don't have access to the Creator Program. Available in countries like the U.S., the U.K. and France, it lets users with a certain amount of followers and monthly views to monetize their videos.

Philip Mai, the co-director of Toronto Metropolitan University's Social Media Lab, said in an interview last week that the government "might be slow-walking the TikTok ban" so as not to upset young voters before a federal election.

"To bring Canada in line with our Five Eyes partners, they may have to ban the app completely, but that would be way after the election," Mai told CBC News.

Creator says office shutdown doesn't impact him, but app ban would

Mark Gaetano was scrolling on his phone one morning when he saw the news about the shutdown. The Toronto content creator said he's nervous that the country is getting closer to a ban.

"It really made me very apprehensive, because all or most of my business takes place on TikTok, and without that, there would go a lot of my career and income and livelihood," he told CBC News.

"However, it does make me nervous, because if the government has that much authority to shut something down so quick, it could mean that they'll just shut down the app entirely.

"Which would then force me to have to pivot onto other social media platforms.… There isn't that guarantee that it's gonna fully transfer over or translate the same way."

When asked about a possible ban on the social media app TikTok in the United States, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he would not comment and Ottawa sees the online security of Canadians as a priority.

Jess Hunichen, co-founder of creative agency Shine Talent Group, often works with content creators in Canada and the U.S. — and she says companies often don't understand the difference between these two markets.

"I think we've seen lots of brands and companies enter Canada and fail because they haven't been in touch with who the Canadian consumer are and how they're different from U.S. consumers," she said.

"So I think that having that local support from TikTok on the ground in Toronto and Vancouver has been really impactful for the market in a great way for the content creators."

YouTube, Instagram could benefit, says expert

Lia Haberman, a Montreal-born and California-based creator economy expert, said the office shutdown is another disadvantage for Canadian creators, who already can't directly monetize their videos.

"TikTok Canada hosted a lot of events, did a lot of different workshops and outreach to creators in Canada. So now that that's disappearing, that is a pretty big gap for Canadian TikTok creators," she said.

"I think having the absence of TikTok in Canada means nobody is advocating back to the head office for Canadian creators."

A new bill signed by U.S. President Joe Biden contains contentious legislation that could ban TikTok in the United States. The CBC's Amy Smith spoke to Canadian TikToker Max Taylor about what a ban in the U.S. would mean in Canada.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jenna Benchetrit

Journalist

Jenna Benchetrit is the senior business writer for CBC News. She writes stories about Canadian economic and consumer issues, and has also recently covered U.S. politics. A Montrealer based in Toronto, Jenna holds a master's degree in journalism from Toronto Metropolitan University. You can reach her at jenna.benchetrit@cbc.ca.