As TikTok stares down an impending federal ban, Donald Trump's win in the presidential election could be a lifeline. It's a plot twist for the embattled,

The federal government ordered an end to TikTok's Canadian operations on Wednesday, citing national security concerns. But its decision to keep the app itself available has privacy experts puzzled.

The government of Canada ordered TikTok Technology Canada to dissolve on Wednesday, citing national security concerns. TikTok Technology Canada is the business arm of the Chinese company ByteDance in the country. In a weird move, Ottawa did not order a ban on TikTok itself, and citizens will still be allowed to use the app.

Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne said the government is taking the drastic measure in response to "specific national security risks" related to ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of TikTok.

The Canadian government has mandated the dissolution of TikTok's business within the country, highlighting national security risks as the primary concern, Reuters reported. However, the government clarified that Canadian users would retain access to the app for content creation and consumption.

President-elect Trump has recently said that he opposes the ban on TikTok, but it’s not clear if he’ll be able to stop it from going into effect–or prioritize doing so. Veuer’s Matt Hoffman reports.