Chinese viral video-sharing app TikTok scaling up with launch of 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 currently 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 is wildly popular with young people, and it has been the breeding ground for some of this year’s biggest memes.
Old Town Road, the record-breaking viral hit song by Lil Nas X, was first popularized as part of a TikTok meme, and 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 counterintelligence threat we cannot ignore.”
TikTok has also been accused of censoring videos that deal with topics that are embarrassing to the Chinese government.
The app’s growth is coming at a time when technology companies have been increasingly caught up in geopolitical tensions between the United States and China.
For instance, Chinese technology firm Huawei is under intense scrutiny over concerns that its network equipment could allow the Chinese government to spy on the countries that use the technology.
According to the job description for the Canadian “Country Head” position, TikTok is looking to expand its audience and develop “content partnerships” with creators and influencers in Canada.
From the point of view of advertisers, TikTok still trails competitors such as Twitter or Snap, says Lance Muranaga, vice-president of strategy and partnerships with Toronto-based social marketing firm Abacus.
“From my perspective, personally, it’s the shiny object that everybody’s staring at. As a marketer, their ad product isn’t more robust,” he said.
We’re excited to continue investing in the Canadian market.