Chinese video-sharing service Tiktok launching Canadian unit
TORONTO The controversial Chinese-owned video-sharing app Tiktok is building out a Canadian division following a year of explosive growth in 2019.
Tiktok is advertising for three positions, including a head of Canadian operations, according to postings on Linkedin. It hired at least one person in October.
“We’re excited to continue investing in the Canadian market, which includes expanding the local Tiktok team as we look to support the incredible creativity and growth of our Canadian users, brands and partners,” a company representative confirmed by email.
Tiktok is also hiring for hundreds of positions in the United States, at the same time its rising cultural relevance and popularity with young people is placing the app under close scrutiny.
Tiktok allows users to create and share short videos, usually incorporating music through lip-synching or dancing. The app has been the breeding ground for some of this year’s biggest memes. In recent months politicians including NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and U.S. presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg have used the platform for campaigning.
In the United States, senators Tom Cotton and Chuck Schumer wrote a letter to the acting director of national intelligence, requesting an assessment of national security threats posed by Tiktok and its parent company, Bytedance.
“Tiktok is owned by Beijing-based technology company Bytedance, which operates several other content platforms in China. Bytedance regards its platforms as part of an artificial intelligence company powered by algorithms that ‘learn’ each user’s interests and preferences through repeat interaction,” the senators wrote. “With over 110 million downloads in the U.S. alone, Tiktok is a potential counter-intelligence threat we cannot ignore.”
Tiktok has also been accused of censoring videos that deal with topics that are embarrassing to the Chinese government.
From the point of view of advertisers, Tiktok still trails competitors such as Twitter or Snap, says Lance Muranaga, VP of strategy and partnerships with Toronto-based social marketing firm Abacus.