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Montana becomes the first state to ban TikTok [UPDATED]

Montana's TikTok ban goes into effect in January 2024.

Donovan Erskine

May 23, 2023 6:48 AM

ByteDance

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Updated on 5/23/23 at 6:48 a.m. PT: TikTok has filed a lawsuit against the state of Montana for passing a bill to ban the video-sharing app. TikTok claims that the move violates the First Amendment among other laws.

The conversation about privacy in regards to TikTok has been and ongoing one for several years now. During his presidency, Donald Trump endorsed a ban on the video-sharing platform. Privacy concerns have continued to swirl around the company’s Chinese owner, ByteDance. Now, Montana has become the first US state to ban TikTok, signing new legislation that will officially put the ban into effect on January 1, 2024.

Montana Governor Greg Gianforte announced the state’s ban on TikTok in a tweet today. The politician minced no words when it came to explaining his stance on the platform and what led to the ban. “The Chinese Communist Party using TikTok to spy on Americans, violate their privacy, and collect their personal, private, and sensitive information is well-documented,” Gianforte said, according to KTVH News. “Today, Montana takes the most decisive action of any state to protect Montanans’ private data and sensitive personal information from being harvested by the Chinese Communist Party.”

As for how the ban will be enforced, Montana will reportedly be able to fine both ByteDance and hosting app stores $10,000 for violations, with an additional $10,000 for each day that the violations continue. It’s important to note that no penalties will be brought against TikTok users.

Earlier this year, a UK regulator slapped TikTok with a $15.9 million fine for the misuse of children’s data. CEO Zi Chew was also brought to US Congress over privacy concerns surrounding the app back in March. With Montana officially signing legislation to ban TikTok, it will be interesting to see if any other states look to ban the social media platform as well. For more news in the social media world, you can count on Shacknews.

Donovan Erskine

News Editor

Donovan is a journalist from Maryland. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge film fanatic and will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_