Montana becomes first US state to ban China-based app TikTok

Montana has become the first US state to completely ban the TikTok app after Republican governor Greg Gianforte signed a bill into law on Wednesday. 

The new measure — which takes effect from January 1, 2024 — will make it unlawful for Google and Apple’s app stores to offer the video sharing app owned by China tech company ByteDance within Montana’s borders.

Violators of the law could face fines of up to $10,000 per day for each time someone is “offered the ability” to access the social media platform, but the penalties would not apply to users. 

Mr Gianforte said he was banning TikTok “to protect Montanans’s personal and private data from the Chinese Community Party”.

TikTok spokesperson Brooke Oberwetter said the ban was “unlawful” because it infringed on America’s First Amendment free speech rights, but she declined to say whether the company would file a lawsuit. 

“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,” Ms Oberwetter said. 

The company — which has 150 million American users — has previously said it has never shared data with the Chinese government and it would not do so if asked.

TikTok is currently working on an initiative called Project Texas, which creates a standalone entity to store American user data on US servers. 

On Wednesday, Mr Gianforte also announced he was banning the use of all social media apps tied to US “foreign adversaries” on state equipment and for state businesses from June 1, 2023. 

Among the apps he listed are WeChat, whose parent company is based in China, and Telegram Messenger, which was founded in Russia.

More than half of US states and the federal government have a similar ban for officials.

AP/Reuters