OSBC Osun State Broadcasting Corporation
Montana became the first US state to ban TikTok, with the law set to take effect next year as the debate escalates over the impact and security of the popular video app.
The prohibition signed into law by Governor Greg Gianforte will serve as a legal test for a national ban on the Chinese-owned platform, something that lawmakers in Washington are increasingly calling for.
“TikTok may not operate within the territorial jurisdiction of Montana,” said a copy of the freshly-minted law on the state website.
The ban makes it a violation each time “a user accesses TikTok, is offered the ability to access TikTok, or is offered the ability to download TikTok.”
Each violation is punishable by a $10,000 fine every day it takes place.
Under the law, Apple and Google will have to remove TikTok from their app stores and companies will face possible daily fines.
The move almost certainly will be challenged by lawsuits.
State political leaders have “trampled on the free speech of hundreds of thousands of Montanans who use the app to express themselves, gather information, and run their small business in the name of anti-Chinese sentiment,” said ACLU Montana policy director Keegan Medrano.
