Montana Governor Greg Gianforte signed legislation to ban the chinese owned tiktok Operating in the state to protect residents from alleged intelligence gathering by China, it became the first US state to ban the popular short video app.
Montana will make it illegal for Google and Apple to offer App Stores TIC Toc within the state, but will not impose any penalty on persons using the app. The ban will be effective from January 1, 2024 and is almost certain to face legal challenges.
tiktok belongs to chinese tech company bytedancedid not respond to a Reuters question on whether it planned legal action.
Earlier, TikTok issued a statement saying that the new law “violates the First Amendment rights of the people of Montana by illegally banning TikTok,” and that it “infringes upon the rights of our users inside and outside of Montana.” Will continue to work for the defense.”
TikTok, which has more than 150 million US users, has faced growing calls from US lawmakers and state officials to ban the app nationwide over concerns about potential Chinese government influence on the platform.
The app has become wildly popular among teenagers. According to the Pew Research Center, 67% of American teens ages 13 to 17 use TikTok, and 16% of all teens say they use the app almost constantly. TikTok has said that the “vast majority” of its users are over the age of 18.
In March, a congressional committee questioned TikTok CEO Shaw Zi Chew about whether the Chinese government could access user data or influence what Americans see on the app. But new powers to ban TikTok nationwide or give the Biden administration a ban on TikTok have not moved forward in Congress.
Gianforte, a Republican, said the bill would advance “our shared priority to protect Montanans from the surveillance of the Chinese Communist Party.”
TikTok has repeatedly denied that it has ever shared data with the Chinese government and has said that the company will not do so if asked.
free speech “trampled”
Montana, which has a population of just over 1 million, said TikTok could face fines for each violation and an additional fine of $10,000 per day if it violates the ban.
The short video app can be downloaded from the App Store for Apple Inc and Google devices. Apple and Google, a unit of Alphabet Inc, could face fines of up to $10,000 per day per violation for violating the ban.
Apple and Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) called the law “unconstitutional” and noted that it would go into effect on January 1 if the courts do not act.
“With this ban, Governor Gianforte and the Montana legislature trample on the free speech of hundreds of thousands of Montanans who use the app to express themselves, gather information and run their small businesses in the name of anti-Chinese sentiment ,” Keegan Medrano, director of policy at the ACLU of Montana, said in a statement.
former president’s effort Donald Trump In 2020 a Commerce Department order banning new downloads of TikTok and WeChat was blocked by multiple courts and never went into effect.
TikTok’s free speech allies include several Democratic members of Congress, including Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and First Amendment groups like the American Civil Liberties Union.
Carl Szabo, general counsel for the industry group NetChoice, also criticized the new law. “The government can’t block our ability to access constitutionally protected speech — whether it’s in a newspaper, on a website or through an app.” He said in a statement that Montana “disregards the US Constitution, due process and free speech.”
Gianforte, who sought to convince the state legislature to ban other social media applications that provide certain data to foreign adversaries, also banned the use of all social media applications that allow foreign adversaries personal information on the state government. collect and provide information or data. Issued equipment.
TikTok is working on an initiative called Project Texas to create a standalone entity to store US user data in the US on servers operated by US tech company Oracle.
Montana will make it illegal for Google and Apple to offer App Stores TIC Toc within the state, but will not impose any penalty on persons using the app. The ban will be effective from January 1, 2024 and is almost certain to face legal challenges.
tiktok belongs to chinese tech company bytedancedid not respond to a Reuters question on whether it planned legal action.
Earlier, TikTok issued a statement saying that the new law “violates the First Amendment rights of the people of Montana by illegally banning TikTok,” and that it “infringes upon the rights of our users inside and outside of Montana.” Will continue to work for the defense.”
TikTok, which has more than 150 million US users, has faced growing calls from US lawmakers and state officials to ban the app nationwide over concerns about potential Chinese government influence on the platform.
The app has become wildly popular among teenagers. According to the Pew Research Center, 67% of American teens ages 13 to 17 use TikTok, and 16% of all teens say they use the app almost constantly. TikTok has said that the “vast majority” of its users are over the age of 18.
In March, a congressional committee questioned TikTok CEO Shaw Zi Chew about whether the Chinese government could access user data or influence what Americans see on the app. But new powers to ban TikTok nationwide or give the Biden administration a ban on TikTok have not moved forward in Congress.
Gianforte, a Republican, said the bill would advance “our shared priority to protect Montanans from the surveillance of the Chinese Communist Party.”
TikTok has repeatedly denied that it has ever shared data with the Chinese government and has said that the company will not do so if asked.
free speech “trampled”
Montana, which has a population of just over 1 million, said TikTok could face fines for each violation and an additional fine of $10,000 per day if it violates the ban.
The short video app can be downloaded from the App Store for Apple Inc and Google devices. Apple and Google, a unit of Alphabet Inc, could face fines of up to $10,000 per day per violation for violating the ban.
Apple and Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) called the law “unconstitutional” and noted that it would go into effect on January 1 if the courts do not act.
“With this ban, Governor Gianforte and the Montana legislature trample on the free speech of hundreds of thousands of Montanans who use the app to express themselves, gather information and run their small businesses in the name of anti-Chinese sentiment ,” Keegan Medrano, director of policy at the ACLU of Montana, said in a statement.
former president’s effort Donald Trump In 2020 a Commerce Department order banning new downloads of TikTok and WeChat was blocked by multiple courts and never went into effect.
TikTok’s free speech allies include several Democratic members of Congress, including Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and First Amendment groups like the American Civil Liberties Union.
Carl Szabo, general counsel for the industry group NetChoice, also criticized the new law. “The government can’t block our ability to access constitutionally protected speech — whether it’s in a newspaper, on a website or through an app.” He said in a statement that Montana “disregards the US Constitution, due process and free speech.”
Gianforte, who sought to convince the state legislature to ban other social media applications that provide certain data to foreign adversaries, also banned the use of all social media applications that allow foreign adversaries personal information on the state government. collect and provide information or data. Issued equipment.
TikTok is working on an initiative called Project Texas to create a standalone entity to store US user data in the US on servers operated by US tech company Oracle.