TikTok landed in hot water after a Canadian government investigation revealed the popular video-sharing app has been collecting sensitive data from hundreds of thousands of children, sparking renewed privacy and regulatory concerns.
The probe, conducted by Canada’s federal privacy commissioner and officials from Quebec, B.C., and Alberta, found TikTok’s existing safeguards to keep kids off the platform were deeply inadequate.
As global focus shifts to digital privacy for minors, all eyes are on TikTok’s next moves, and how this might affect its much-anticipated US ownership deal.
What the TikTok investigation uncover?
Investigators found that despite TikTok’s claim that the platform isn’t meant for users under 13, hundreds of thousands of Canadian children accessed the app each year, and the company harvested their personal info in the process.
That data ranged from basic identifiers to biometric profiles, all used for content targeting and even ad strategies, some of which promoted risky behaviors like gambling and identity exposure.
The probe made clear TikTok failed to properly explain these data practices even to adults, let alone teenagers or kids, nor did it obtain meaningful consent as Canadian law demands.
In response, TikTok agreed to a slate of corrective measures: ramping up its age checks to keep children off the app, publishing a plain-language privacy summary for teens, and halting targeted advertising to under-18s except in generic categories like location or language.
Privacy notices will now be more accessible and available in French across Canada, with better up-front disclosures about how and where data is processed, including if it’s handled or accessed in China.
TikTok has committed to monthly privacy updates, new mechanisms for Canadian users to manage privacy settings, and independent assessments to ensure changes stick over the next six months.
Regulators say this resolution is “well-founded and conditionally resolved,” but stresses the importance of TikTok owning and explaining its data responsibilities, not leaving the burden on parents or schools.
Could this impact TikTok’s US deal?
The timing of Canada’s report is striking, as TikTok’s complex US ownership negotiations reach a critical stage.
The White House has been racing to finalize a framework for American investors, Oracle and Silver Lake among them to take charge of TikTok’s US operations and license a sanitized version of its prized recommendation algorithm, a move meant to satisfy security concerns and avert a full ban.
President Donald Trump is expected to formalize the agreement next week, but Canadian findings could add fresh regulatory scrutiny to the mix.
Canadian officials stress that TikTok must make clear to users their data could be processed or accessed in China, where national laws allow government access to company records.
That mirrors US anxieties about Chinese ownership, data transfer risks, and manipulation of TikTok’s algorithm to subtly shape user content feeds.
While TikTok has already pledged to tighten privacy and transparency, the revelations from Canada may prompt American regulators to push for even stronger compliance and firewalls, especially in an election year with tech policy in the spotlight.
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