TikTok, a well-liked social media platform, is now prohibited entirely in the state of Montana, making it the first state in the United States to take such a radical move. As a result, Montana has been the subject of widespread media attention.
The usage of the app TikTok will be illegal across the state beginning on January 1, 2024, after Governor Greg Gianforte gave his signature to a measure that made it into law. This move, which aims to protect the privacy and personal information of Montanans, represents a major step in the continuing concerns regarding the app that is controlled by the Chinese government.
See our other articles about TikTok bans:
- New Zealand and the UK join the US with TikTok bans.
- TikTok ban is on the way in US.
- Australia bans TikTok on official devices.
Montana becomes the first US state to ban TikTok
After the governor approved a bill banning mobile app shops from selling TikTok in the state by the end of next year, Montana became the first US state to do so.
The action is one of the most dramatic in a string of escalations by the US against TikTok, a Chinese internet giant ByteDance’s app. Due to worries that these linkages might endanger national security, TikTok has been under increased investigation for its connections to China.
The Biden administration has threatened a countrywide ban unless its parent corporation sells its shares. The federal government and more than half of US states have already forbidden the software from being used on government-owned smartphones. After the governor approved a bill banning mobile app shops from selling TikTok in the state by the end of next year, Montana became the first US state to do so.
In the past, the business has said that it has never supplied data to the Chinese government and that it would not do so if requested.
In a statement, TikTok said that the Montana bill “violates the people of Montana’s first amendment rights by forcibly banning TikTok” and that the firm intended to “defend the rights of our users inside and outside of Montana.”
Free Speech in Jeopardy: ACLU Slams Montana’s TikTok Ban
Shou Zi Chew, the CEO of TikTok, was interrogated by legislators on the social network’s effects on young people’s mental health during a bipartisan congressional hearing in March when he was compelled to justify his company’s relationship with China.
With more than 100 million US members, TikTok is one of the most widely used social networks in the world. However, it is yet unclear how these prohibitions would be implemented and how they will affect the platform’s developers.
The new legislation in Montana forbids TikTok downloads inside the state and fines any “entity” (such as an app store or TikTok) $10,000 per day for each instance in which a person “is offered the ability” to use the social media platform or download the app. Users would not be subject to the fines.
Legal challenges are anticipated for Montana’s prohibition, which will act as a trial run for the TikTok-free America that many national politicians have envisioned.
On smartphones provided by the government, Gianforte also outlawed the use of any social media programs that gather and transmit private information or data to opponents abroad. He mentioned several applications, including WeChat, whose parent business is based in China, and Telegram Messenger, which was established in Russia.
