Montana becomes first state to outlaw TikTok
The bill gained momentum under the sponsorship of Republican state Senator Shelley Vance, who termed TikTok as 'a critical threat to our national security'. The app, owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, stands accused of providing China unhindered access to data on American citizens.
Montana has become the first state in the United States to enact a complete ban on TikTok, following Republican Governor Greg Gianforte's sign-off on a bill Thursday. The law bars app stores from making TikTok available for download within the state, rooted in the growing accusations against China of exploiting the app to snoop on Americans and harvest their data.
"The Chinese Communist Party's exploitation of TikTok as a conduit to spy on Americans, infringe on their privacy, and mine their personal, private, and sensitive information is an open secret," noted Gianforte. "Today, Montana spearheads the most resolute action by any state to protect the private data and sensitive personal information of Montanans from falling into the hands of the Chinese Communist Party."
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
The bill gained momentum under the sponsorship of Republican state Senator Shelley Vance, who termed TikTok as "a critical threat to our national security". The app, owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, stands accused of providing China unhindered access to data on American citizens.
Any entity, including TikTok or an app store, will be slapped with a $10,000 fine each time the app is accessed or downloaded within the state, with the Montana Department of Justice enforcing the penalties.
"I'm grateful to Attorney General [Austin] Knudsen and Senator Vance for their collaboration on this crucial initiative and for promoting our shared priority of safeguarding Montanans from Chinese Communist Party surveillance," remarked Gianforte.
Jamal Brown, TikTok spokesperson and former Biden administration employee, highlighted that the app is popular in Montana, boasting over 200,000 individual users and 6,000 businesses, out of a population of about 1.1 million.
The new law is expected to face legal pushback, potentially from free speech groups.
"We wish to reassure Montanans that they can keep relying on TikTok as a platform to express themselves, earn a livelihood, and foster a sense of community as we remain committed to safeguarding the rights of our users both within and outside Montana," expressed TikTok representative Brooke Oberwetter.
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