Ottawa’s TikTok decision confusing, experts say [Video]

By ordering TikTok to shut down its Canadian operations but not banning the app, digital media experts say the federal government is sending mixed messages that make it too hard for the average user to decide whether they should remain on the platform.

Richard Lachman says the government’s messaging around the order was confusing because it conveyed to people that there is some trouble with TikTok, but didn’t give them enough information to know how alarmed they should be about the social media platform.

Without knowing more about what concerned the government, the associate professor at Toronto Metropolitan University’s Radio and Television Arts School of Media says all Canadians can do is make an uninformed decision.

Philip Mai, co-director of Toronto Metropolitan University’s Social Media Lab, agrees. He says without knowing more about what worried the government, Canadians must treat TikTok use as a personal choice.

The federal government said …