TikTok has challenged a Canadian government order to shut down the Chinese video-sharing app's business operations in the country that was imposed over national security concerns.

The company said Tuesday that it filed an application for a judicial review with the Federal Court in Vancouver on Dec. 5, which seeks to set aside the order for TikTok to wind-up and cease its business in Canada.

The Canadian federal government last month announced it was ordering the dissolution of TikTok Technology Canada Inc. after a national security review of its Chinese parent company ByteDance Ltd.

The government is not blocking access to the TikTok app, which will continue to be available to Canadians. TikTok said it has 14 million users in Canada, which is about a third of the population. It has offices in Toronto and Vancouver.

The wildly popular platform is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company that moved its headquarters to Singapore in 2020, but is under increasing pressure in the West. It's facing a possible ban in the U.S. and intensifying scrutiny in Europe over issues including election influence campaigns allegedly coordinated by Moscow.

TikTok argues in its court application, which was posted online, that Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne's decision was "unreasonable" and "driven by improper purposes." It says the order is "grossly disproportionate" and the the national security review was "procedurally unfair."

The review was carried out through the Investment Canada Act, which allows the government to investigate foreign investment with potential to harm national security.

Champagne said in a statement at the time that the government was taking action to address "specific national security risks," but did... Read More