Montana became wednesday First US state to completely ban Tiktok That comes after Governor Greg Gianforte signed the most far-reaching measure yet to ban the social network owned by Chinese company ByteDance.
It is noticeable that the measure, which Will come into force on January 1, 2024, spark a legal battle and serve as a testing ground for the free country of TikTok that many national legislators advocate. Cyber security experts believe Ban would be difficult to enforce,
new law Bans the download of TikTok in the state and will fine any “entity” up to $10,000 a day—an app store or TikTok—whenever you provide someone with the ability to access the platform or download the app. Users will not be penalised.
“Montana is taking the most decisive action of any state today to stop the Communist Party of China from collecting personal data and sensitive information of state people,” Republican Gianforte said in a statement.
Opponents of the new law, however, say Montanans They can easily bypass it by using Virtual Private Network (VPN) A service that protects Internet users by encrypting their traffic data and preventing their activities from being observed on the network.
Montana state officials say the geofencing technology used with sports betting apps is disabled in states where online gambling is illegal.
Reactions Against Tiktok Ban in Montana
TikTok spokeswoman Brooke Oberwater argued that the law violates the rights established in the First Amendment to the Constitution, But did not disclose whether the company would file a lawsuit.
“We want to make sure Montanans can continue to use TikTok to express themselves, earn a living, and find community,” Oberwatter said in a statement.
The Montana chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and NetChoice, a trade group that includes Google and TikTok as members, also consider the law unconstitutional.
Keegan Medrano, policy director for the ACLU of Montana, said the legislature “trampled on the free speech of the hundreds of thousands of Montana residents who use the app to express themselves, gather information and run their small businesses, a Anti-Chinese position in the name of.
Concern about the use of Tiktok
A former ByteDance executive says the tech giant has acted as a “propaganda tool” for the Chinese government, a claim the company has called baseless.
When Montana banned the app on government-owned devices last December, Gianforte noted TikTok poses a “significant risk” to sensitive state information, More than half of the country’s states, as well as the federal government, have implemented a similar ban.
Gianforte also announced on Wednesday Prohibits use of all social media apps linked to foreign adversaries on state equipment or for state businesses in Montana By June 1st. Among the apps he named were WeChat, whose parent company is based in China; and Telegram messenger, which was founded in Russia.
The bill, written by the attorney general’s office, easily passed the Republican-led Montana legislature.
Gianforte wanted to expand the TikTok initiative to include apps linked to foreign adversaries, but lawmakers won’t send him the bill until the end of session this month, preventing him from proposing amendments.
The White House backs a bipartisan bill that could allow President Biden to ban platforms like TikTok
