Montana is first state to ban TikTok over national security concerns
Enlarge (credit: Bloomberg / Contributor | Bloomberg)
Montana became the first state to ban TikTok yesterday. In a press release, the state's Republican governor, Greg Gianforte, said the move was a necessary step to keep Montanans safe from Chinese Communist Party surveillance. The ban will take effect on January 1, 2024.
"The Chinese Communist Party is using TikTok to spy on Americans, violate their privacy, and collect their personal, private, and sensitive information is well-documented," Gianforte said. Today, Montana takes the most decisive action of any state to protect Montanans' private data and sensitive personal information from being harvested by the Chinese Communist Party."
Prior to signing Montana Senate Bill 419 into law, critics reported that banning TikTok in the state would likely be both technically and legally unfeasible. Technically, since Montana doesn't control all Internet access in the state, the ban may be difficult to enforce. And legally, it must hold up to First Amendment scrutiny, because Montanans should have the right to access information and express themselves using whatever communications tool they prefer.