Montana has become the first U.S. state to completely ban TikTok, as part of the country’s ongoing battle to stop the app from “stealing American users’ data,” a supposed consequence of the social media platform owned by a Chinese tech company.
The bill was signed on Wednesday by Republican governor, Greg Gianforte and will take effect on Jan 1, 2024. AP News reports that this ban in Montana would “serve as a testing ground” for American lawmakers to see if the “TikTok-free America” they envisioned is possible. Gianforte released a statement about the newly signed bill and claimed that this was done to protect “private and sensitive personal information” from the Chinese Government.
“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,”
A TikTok spokesperson responded to the ban and claimed that this ban “infringes on people’s First Amendment rights,” and claimed the bill to be unlawful. TikTok has also reassured Montana users that they can still use the app and are working on a way to “defend the rights” of its users.
“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,”
At the moment, TikTok has been banned on government-issued devices, and CNN reported that a handful of American public universities have opted to ban the app when connected to campus WiFi. Other states haven’t announced any plans to enact a similar ban to the public.
The US government has been fighting against TikTok under the guise that it’s to “protect users’ data from the CCP.” A bill that proposed a nationwide ban was introduced back in March 2023 and has received bipartisan support. Later that month, TikTok CEO, Shou Chew testified before U.S. Congress to defend the social media app, with the hearing being described as “a circus” by TikTok users.
