Montana on Wednesday became the first US state to ban TikTok. Republican Governor Greg Gianforte signed the bill, which is expected to be challenged by the Chinese tech company.
“Today, Montana takes the most decisive action of any state to protect Montanans’ private data and sensitive personal information from being harvested by the Chinese Communist Party,” Gianforte said in a statement.
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The ban comes after months of discussion about security concerns TikTok poses. The bill will take effect in January. It notes potential fines of $10,000 per day for violators. Only last month, Montana lawmakers voted 54-43 to pass the bill – SB419.
Lawmakers, the FBI and several agencies voiced their concerns about TikTok. The video-sharing application is owned by ByteDance. They said that the app could be used by the Chinese government to access information on American citizens and also push misinformation.
Gianforte also announced that he was prohibiting the use of all social media applications tied to foreign adversaries on state equipment and for state businesses in Montana effective on June 1. These include WeChat and Telegram.
The ban now sparks the free speech debate.
TikTok spokesperson Brooke Oberwetter said that the law curtails the first amendment.
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“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 said in a statement.
“Governor Gianforte has signed a bill that infringes on the First Amendment rights of the people of Montana by unlawfully banning TikTok, a platform that 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,” TikTok told CNN.
