Montana has become the first US state to ban TikTok and the state’s Republican governor Greg Gianforte signed legislation making illegal to download the Chinese-owned app on personal devices.
However, the law does not prevent those who already have the app installed on their devices from using the popular video sharing app.
Under the new legislation it is illegal to download TikTok and any “entity” will be fined $10,000 per day every time a user is “offered the ability” to gain access to download the app.
From the 1 January 2024 the new legislation in Montana is to take effect and it is highly likely TikTok will challenge the law.
In March TikTok’s chief executive was in US Congress trying to reassure that they are now “an agent” acting on behalf of China and there is no risk to national security.
Gianforte said after signing the legislation on Wednesday, “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.”
Brooke Oberwetter, a TikTok spokesperson said, “We want to reassure Montanans that they can continue using TikTok to express themselves, earn a living, and find community as we continue working to defend the rights of our users inside and outside of Montana.”
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