Montana becomes first US state to ban TikTok
Montana has became the first US state to ban TikTok after the governor signed legislation prohibiting mobile app stores from offering the app within the state by next year.
Montana's new law, which will take effect January 1, bans downloads of the popular social network in the state and imposes a $10,000-a-day fine for each time someone "is offered the ability" to access TikTok or download the app. The penalties would not apply to users, but only to entities.
That said, Montana's ban is expected to face legal challenges and become a testing ground for the TikTok-free America that many national lawmakers have envisioned.
TikTok has already said the bill "infringes on the first amendment rights of the people of Montana by unlawfully banning TikTok," and that the company intends to "defend the rights of our users inside and outside of Montana."
TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese tech company ByteDance, has come under increasing scrutiny over its ties to China, amid concerns that such links could pose a national security threat.
The federal government and more than half of US states have already banned the app on government devices and the Biden administration has threatened a national ban unless its parent company sells its stock.
TikTok denies it has ever shared data with the Chinese government and has said it would not do so if asked.
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