Montana passes law banning TikTok, first in the country; lawsuit possible

Last Updated on 05/18/2023 by てんしょく飯

On 17 May, Governor Gianforte of the US state of Montana signed a bill banning the Chinese video-sharing app TikTok from operating in the state.

This is the first state ban of the app in the country.

It bans the provision of TikTok by app stores in the state and will take effect from 1 January 2024.

TikTok can be downloaded from the app stores of Apple and Alphabet-owned Google in the US. If the law is breached, TikTok, Apple and Google could be fined USD 10 000 per day per violation. Individuals using the app will not be penalised.

Litigation is expected over the law, but TikTok did not respond to Reuters’ questions about whether it plans legal action.

Apple and Google have not responded to requests for comment at this time.

Governor Gianforte said the law would advance efforts to address the priority of ‘protecting Montanans from Chinese Communist Party surveillance’.

In a statement, TikTok, an affiliate of China’s Chinese character section Jumping (Byte Dance), said that “illegally banning (the app) violates the First Amendment rights of the United States Constitution (guaranteeing freedom of expression)” and that it would defend the rights of users in and out of the state.