Montana became the first state to completely ban TikTok on Wednesday after Governor Greg Gianforte signed the bill on Wednesday. It is scheduled to take effect January 1, 2024
Montana officially became the first state on Wednesday to pass a law completely banning social media app TikTok from the state.Governor Greg Gianforte signed the bill on Wednesday after the legal measure easily passed the state’s GOP-controlled legislature. The ban is scheduled to go into effect on January 1, 2024.The law, SB-419, would fine app stores and TikTok $10,000 anytime a user in the state of Montana is given “the option to download the TikTok mobile application,” and would continue fining them as long as the violation continues.TikTok spokesperson Brooke Oberwetter said the law violates the First Amendment and attempted to ease the concerns of users in Montana. Lawmakers and the FBI have said they are concerned the app may be used by the Chinese government to spy on US citizens. TikTok has taken several measures to placate US officials, seemingly to no avail. It has started moving all US user data to servers owned by US software giant Oracle, moved its headquarters to Singapore, and has been promoting a $1.5 billion plan to comply with US official demands.Still, some lawmakers have complained it is not enough, an assertion that seems to irk TikTok general counsel Erich Andersen. Opponents of the law say that beyond possible First Amendment violations, it would also be difficult to enforce, pointing to Virtual Private Network services (VPNs) that allow users to change the geolocation of any device.Supporters of the bill have pointed to sports gambling apps, which use geofencing to combat that and make it more difficult for users to spoof their location.
