Federal departments have green light to advertise on TikTok — despite security concerns

Federal government departments are still allowed to advertise on TikTok despite mounting security concerns about the social media platform, CBC News has learned. 

On Wednesday, the government ordered TikTok to shut down its two Canadian offices, citing "national security risks." 

It was the latest red flag raised by government officials about the app, which is owned by a Chinese company. In May, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) suggested TikTok is a threat to users' data security, and in February 2023, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada launched an investigation into TikTok's privacy policies. That same month, Ottawa banned the from all government devices due to privacy and security concerns.

Nevertheless, the federal government is not barring its departments from continuing to use the app to run taxpayer-funded ad campaigns. 

Ottawa's policy has baffled some security and technology experts who say it sends a conflicting message to Canadians trying to assess if they face risks when using TikTok. 

"[Ottawa's] suggesting that they're going to keep using the platform, but you should be wary of using the platform," said Brett Caraway, an associate professor of media economics at the University of Toronto.

"The messaging here is just going in opposite directions."

David Shipely, CEO of Fredericton-based Beauceron Security, a cybersecurity firm, agrees. 

"I think it's ridiculous — pick a lane," he said, adding that if the government has concerns about TikTok, it should avoid doing business with the platform. 

"If they don't trust these guys, they shouldn't trust these guys."

After repeated CBC News inquiries since May, the government revealed its TikTok advertising policy on Friday evening.

"Departments make decisions with respect to advertising placements," based on factors such as campaign objectives, budget and target audiences, Privy Council Office spokesperson Pierre-Alain Bujold said in an email. 

He said Ottawa currently isn't running ads on TikTok and has no "immediate" plans to do so, but confirmed the door is still open to future campaigns on the app. CBC News asked why that's the case in light of security concerns, and did not receive a reply by the deadline for the publication of this story.

During the first three months of 2024, almost one year after Ottawa had first raised concerns about TikTok, Public Safety Canada ran ads on the platform promoting emergency preparedness.