A group of TikTok users is suing a ban on using the app across the state of Montana. The initiators of the lawsuit argue that the law signed this week by Governor Greg Gianforte violates the First Amendment to the US Constitution, which regulates the right to free expression, among other things.
User complaints
The complaint filed Wednesday night in the US District Court for the District of Montana – just hours after the governor signed it – compares TikTok to other types of media arguing that the state does not have the authority to block citizens from accessing and creating legal speeches.
“Montana can’t ban its residents from viewing or posting on TikTok any more than it could ban the Wall Street Journal based on who owns it or the ideas it posts,” says the lawsuit, filed by five TikTok content creators. including a small swimwear company, a rancher and a former Navy sergeant.
The new ban
The lawsuit marks what may be the first challenge to a controversial ban that goes far beyond the restrictions Montana and other states have already enacted to ban TikTok on official government devices.
The new ban attempts to ban TikTok from operating in the state and block TikTok downloads to personal devices, but would not penalize people for using TikTok. The ban is expected to take effect in January.