Montana first state to ban TikTok in the US

HELENA: Montana becomes the first U.S. state to impose a ban on the Chinese video-sharing platform, TikTok, as governor Greg Gianforte signs legislation to prohibit it.

According to reports, the legislation signed by Gianforte ensures mobile app stores will not offer access to the platform in Montana from next year. The move is the latest among other “dramatic” decisions against the Chinese app owned by ByteDance. Earlier, the video-sharing platform had come under fire for its “ties to China” after authorities had cited a “threat” to the country’s national security. However, TikTok’s CEO Shou Zi Chew denied the claims speaking before the US House of Representatives’ Committee, in March.

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It is pertinent to note that prior to Montana prohibiting the app, the U.S. Federal government and over half of the states had banned the app on government devices with the Biden administration threatening a “national ban” unless ByteDance sell its shares.

Despite the claims, TikTok has denied having shared data with the Chinese government adding that the company would not do so, even if asked. Appearing before the House of Representatives in March, Shou had said the video-sharing app would not “honour such a request” if it were to be made.

Montana first state to ban TikTok in the US | Baaghi TV

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew

According to The Guardian reports, TikTok has issued a statement arguing the Montana bill is an infringement of the “first amendment rights of the people of Montana” as it is “unlawfully banning TikTok” and that the company will continue to “defend the rights of our users inside and outside of Montana”.

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As one of the leading apps, TikTok is among the most popular social media networks with over 100 million users in the U.S. alone. So the question remains how the U.S. government will enforce this ban and how it will impact creators who use the platform?

The law in question will take effect from January 1, prohibiting downloads of the app and enforcing fines up to $10,000 per day on any “entity” that allows users to access it. However, the fines will not apply to users. Prior to taking effect, the bill is expected to face legal challenges and is expected to serve as a “testing ground” for a “TikTok-free America” as hoped by lawmakers across the U.S.

Apart from TikTok, Governor Gianforte has also prohibited the use of other social media applications which collect and/or provide personal information of its users to “foreign adversaries on government-issued devices”, reported The Guardian. Among them are WeChat headquartered in China and Telegram Messenger founded in Russia, respectively.

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On the other hand, the move has been criticized as “government overreach” with competitors arguing the residents could simply turn to VPNs (virtual private networks) allowing encryption of data traffic, and preventing others from observing their web browsing. The move has also been criticised by advocates of internet freedom who see it as the a crackdown by authorities as “amounting to censorship”.

Montana first state to ban TikTok in the US | Baaghi TV

Likewise, Keegan Medrano who is a policy director for ACLU has argued that the legislation has: “trampled on the free speech of hundreds of thousands of Montanans who use the app to express themselves, gather information and run their small business in the name of anti-Chinese sentiment”.

Additionally, Carl Szabo, Vice President of NetChoice has issued a statement: “This is a clear violation of the constitution, which prohibits the government from blocking Americans from accessing constitutionally-protected speech online via websites or apps”.