Following Gov. Greg Gianforte’s signature, the law restricting downloads of the immensely popular social media app will likely face legal challenges that it restricts free speech.
Montana officially became the first state to ban TikTok on Wednesday after Gov. Greg Gianforte signed a bill restricting downloads of the immensely popular social media app into law.
The legislation, which was passed in April, makes it illegal for app stores to give users the option to download TikTok and also illegal for the company to operate within the state.
The law is likely to face challenges in court arguing it restricts free speech, but Gianforte praised the bill’s privacy protections.
“The Chinese Communist Party using TikTok to spy on Americans, violate their privacy, and collect their personal, private, and sensitive information is well-documented,” Gianforte said in a news release, calling the law “the most decisive action of any state.”
When the bill passed last month, TikTok spokesperson Brooke Oberwetter said its “champions have admitted that they have no feasible plan for operationalizing this attempt to censor American voices.”
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“We will continue to fight for TikTok users and creators in Montana whose livelihoods and First Amendment rights are threatened by this egregious government overreach,” Oberwetter said.
Violations of a ban include each time a user offered the ability to download the app. Each violation could carry a $10,000 penalty. Enforcement would be handled by the Montana Department of Justice.