Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte, a Republican, signed a law Wednesday banning the use of the Chinese app TikTok, becoming the first state in the country to ban the popular social platform.
It is the toughest ever approved in the United States and goes beyond the vetoes that have been enacted by the federal government and half of the country’s 50 states to prevent public officials from having TikTok on their cell phones.
Cyber security experts say that when this law becomes effective from January next year, it will be very difficult, if not impossible, to implement it completely.
How will the restrictions be
The law would ban TikTok downloads in the state and impose a $10,000 fine on any “entity” (an app store or the TikTok social network itself) each time a person uses TikTok to “access or download it.” capacity” is offered.
This means that Apple and Google, which operate the App Stores on Apple and Android devices, would be liable for any infringements. Restrictions on users will not apply.
The state ban would only apply to new downloads and would not take effect until January 2024 and would be lifted if the social media platform is sold to a company that is not based in “any country designated as foreign antagonist” by the federal government. Will be taken ,
A group of congressmen proposed a ban on the use of social networks by children under the age of 12. Get details.
Montana’s Attorney General Austin Knudsen has pointed to a technique used to ban online sports betting apps as a way to ban TikTok in the state.
Anyone can report those violations. And once the state verifies that a violation has occurred, it sends a cease-and-desist letter to the company involved, said Kyler Nerrison, a spokeswoman for Knudsen’s office. Many companies use different methods for compliance and it is up to them to “not allow their apps to work in Montana and other states where they are not legal”.
How hard will it be to follow the law
While neither Apple nor Google has spoken out against the law, a representative from TechNet, the trade group that counts the two tech giants as members, said the potential for “geo-restricted” apps in the App Store Not there. And that it would be impossible to block TikTok from being downloaded in Montana.
The group has also said that it should be up to the app to determine where it can work, not the App Store.
