TikTok, the social media juggernaut known for its addictive short-form videos, now finds itself at the center of a legal storm in Canada. On November 14, 2025, a proposed class-action lawsuit was filed in the Supreme Court of British Columbia, targeting TikTok and its parent company ByteDance, along with several affiliated entities. The suit, brought forward by a British Columbia resident on behalf of all Canadian TikTok users, accuses the platform of failing to disclose the true scale and purpose of the personal data it collects from millions of Canadians.
The legal action, which has not yet been certified and whose allegations remain unproven in court, alleges that TikTok violated multiple Canadian privacy statutes—including the Privacy Act, Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act, and the Infants Act—by gathering and using personal information in ways users never meaningfully consented to. According to Daily Hive, the claim specifically targets TikTok Pte. Ltd. in Singapore, TikTok Ltd. in Shanghai, ByteDance Ltd., and TikTok Technology Canada Inc. in B.C., underscoring the global nature of both the company and the alleged privacy breaches.
Since its Canadian debut in 2017, TikTok has exploded in popularity, boasting more than 14 million active monthly users across the country as of November 2024. It’s become a digital playground for creators and businesses alike, with TikTok itself claiming a $2.3 billion contribution to Canada’s GDP through its operations and the economic activity it sparks among small businesses and influencers, as reported by BetaKit. But beneath the viral dances and comedic sketches, the lawsuit contends there’s a darker side to TikTok’s data practices.
Central to the lawsuit is the allegation that TikTok covertly combined and categorized users’ personal information to build detailed profiles. These profiles, the suit says, were used not only to serve users ever-more tailored content—keeping them glued to the app for longer stretches—but also to supercharge TikTok’s advertising business by selling highly targeted ads. “None of the iterations of the privacy policy disclosed to users that TikTok was combining and categorizing the personal information it collected on them in order to create detailed profiles,” the lawsuit asserts, as cited by BetaKit. “Neither did they disclose that TikTok’s purpose for creating these profiles was to entice users to spend more and more time on the platform and to be able to sell advertising targeted at those users while they were on the platform.”
What kind of data are we talking about? According to the public notice and documents summarized by Daily Hive, TikTok allegedly collected a vast array of personal information: dates of birth, location data, payment details, phone numbers, email addresses, and even behavioral data such as which videos users watched, how long they watched, and the posts they liked or commented on. The platform is also accused of gathering device data—like IP addresses, GPS locations, device models, and operating systems—as well as social data from users’ contact lists and other social media platforms. Perhaps most concerning, the lawsuit claims TikTok harvested biometric data, including facial recognition information and voiceprints.
The breadth of this data collection, paired with what the lawsuit calls a “failure to explain the purposes for which it was using the personal information,” allegedly meant that users could not provide meaningful consent. “This failure to explain the purposes for which it was using the personal information meant that users could not meaningfully consent to the data collection for that use, rendering the collection and use of the personal information a breach of privacy,” reads the court document, as reported by Daily Hive.
Children are a major focus of the suit. Although TikTok’s terms officially ban users under 13, privacy commissioners found that the company was collecting personal and potentially sensitive data from a “large number” of Canadian children. Even more troubling, TikTok reportedly kept information from children’s accounts even after those accounts were deleted. TikTok has said it deletes about 500,000 underage accounts each year, but according to privacy watchdogs, the data from those accounts lingered on TikTok’s servers. Earlier this fall, provincial and federal privacy watchdogs criticized TikTok for “inadequate measures” to keep children off the platform, as highlighted by BetaKit and Startup Ecosystem News.
In response to mounting scrutiny, TikTok has pledged to implement new models to better detect underage users and to clearly communicate its policies regarding data retention and usage. But for many critics and the plaintiffs behind the lawsuit, these promises fall short. The legal claim seeks not only damages—general, moral, compensatory, pecuniary, special, and even Charter damages for violations of informational privacy and compliance with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA)—but also asks that TikTok be forced to disgorge any profits it made through the alleged misuse of Canadian users’ data. As Startup Ecosystem News notes, if the lawsuit succeeds, TikTok could face significant financial consequences and be compelled to overhaul its Canadian data practices.
For now, the platform remains available in Canada, despite having been ordered in 2024 to wind down its Canadian business by an unspecified date. The uncertainty has left both creators and users in limbo, even as TikTok touts its economic contributions. Meanwhile, any Canadian TikTok user affected by the alleged privacy violations may be eligible to join the class action—and can register online for updates as the case moves forward, according to Daily Hive.
The lawsuit also raises broader questions about the responsibilities of global tech giants operating in Canada. With privacy laws evolving and public awareness growing, companies like TikTok are under increasing pressure to be transparent about how they handle user data—especially when it comes to minors. The case could set a precedent for how digital platforms must communicate, obtain consent, and manage the information of Canadian users in the future.
As the legal process unfolds, all eyes will be on the Supreme Court of British Columbia and the arguments presented by both sides. The outcome could shape not only TikTok’s future in Canada, but also the broader landscape of digital privacy rights for Canadians. For now, the fight over what happens to your data—and who profits from it—has just begun.
