Posted on 05/18/23
| News Source: FOX 5
Montana is facing legal disputes after becoming the first state in the U.S. to entirely ban TikTok.
Five TikTok users filed a lawsuit Wednesday seeking to overturn the ban and argued that the law is an "unconstitutional violation" of free speech rights.
Gov. Greg Gianforte signed the measure into law Wednesday, saying it’s meant to “protect Montanans' personal and private data from the Chinese Communist party.”
The video-sharing app, owned by ByteDance, said the bill infringes on the First Amendment rights of the people of Montana and is vowing to fight back.
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,” company spokesperson Brooke Oberwetter said in a statement.
The law bans downloads of the app, fining the app store or company $10,000 per day anytime someone is “offered the ability” to access the platform or download the app. TikTok users will not be penalized.
Critics call it government overreach and say residents can use a VPN to bypass the ban.
The statewide ban won’t take effect until Jan. 2024. It would be void if the social media platform is sold to a company that is not based in “any country designated as a foreign adversary” by the federal government.
A legal battle is likely on the horizon. Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen has already said he expects the law will end up in court.