On Wednesday, Gov. Greg Gianforte signed a bill restricting downloads of the hugely popular social media app into law, making Montana the first state to prohibit TikTok outright.
The law passed last month forbids app stores from allowing users to download TikTok and makes it unlawful for the business to conduct business in the state.
Even though Gianforte praised the law’s privacy protections, it will likely be challenged in court because it limits free speech.
“To protect Montanans’ personal and private data from the Chinese Communist Party, I have banned TikTok in Montana,” said Gianforte on Twitter.
To protect Montanans’ personal and private data from the Chinese Communist Party, I have banned TikTok in Montana.
— Governor Greg Gianforte (@GovGianforte) May 17, 2023
On Wednesday, a representative for TikTok, Brooke Oberwetter, issued a statement in which she called the bill “unlawful” and argued that the app “empowers hundreds of thousands of people across the state.”
“We want to reassure Montanans that they can continue using TikTok to express themselves, earn a living, and find community as we continue working to defend the rights of our users inside and outside of Montana,” Oberwetter told.
Oberwetter, who opposed the bill’s passage last month, claims that “champions have admitted that they have no feasible plan for operationalizing this attempt to censor American voices.”
Every instance where a user is presented with the option to download the app violates a ban. A fine of $10,000 may be imposed for each infraction. The Montana Department of Justice would be in charge of enforcing this law.
The CEO of TikTok, Shou Zi Chew, testified before Congress in March and claimed that the app’s popularity in the United States had skyrocketed to 150 million users.
If you want to see other recent news, you can click on the link given below:
- Kari Lake Faces Trial Over Last Claim in Arizona Governor’s Race Lawsuit!
- Elizabeth Holmes To Report To Prison on May 30 After Losing Bid For Freedom!
- A Man Fired At A Police Helicopter In Phoenix After A Bank Robbery!
Limited bans have been issued federally and state-by-state for government-owned devices and networks, but Montana is the first state to ban downloads and usage for everyone within its borders.
A ban on the use of TikTok by the nearly 4 million federal employees on government-issued devices was signed into law by Vice President Joe Biden last year.
If you want to check out more news, you can visit our site, newswatchlist.com, to read all the latest information. You can also share your views in the comment box, and don’t forget to bookmark our site.
Leave a Reply