The Chinese short video app TikTok is now banned in the US state of Montana due to security concerns. The ban protects Montana’s citizens “from surveillance by the Chinese Communist Party,” according to Gov. Gianforte.
Montana’s governor has signed legislation banning video platform TikTok entirely. The bill passed the Republican-controlled Congress with ease.
The decision was expected to be subject to a legal challenge, which would go beyond what has been the case in other states to date. Critics see, among other things, the right to freedom of expression at risk. Corresponding legal disputes would be a test balloon for a TikTok-free country, which many MPs at the federal level are also striving for. A total ban on the social media app is not in place anywhere else in the US.
Platform penalties of up to $10,000 per day
When Montana initially banned the use of TikTok on government-owned devices in December, Republican Governor Greg Gianforte justified this with “significant risks” with regard to sensitive data. Such a ban already exists in about half of the US states and at the federal level.
Some lawmakers, the FBI and other agencies are concerned that the video platform owned by Chinese company ByteDance could be used to give the Chinese government access to American citizens’ data or to spread disinformation on Beijing’s behalf and thereby sway public opinion influence. TikTok has stated that nothing like this has ever happened.
The new rule will ban app stores from offering the application as of January 1, 2024, and Tiktok will no longer be allowed to operate as a business in the northwestern state. Any entity in Montana — such as an app store or TikTok itself — that offers people a way to violate it or otherwise gain access to the platform is subject to a $10,000 daily fine. However, the penalties should not be imposed on users. Anyone who already has the app on their own device is not affected.