{"id":18600,"date":"2023-05-17T23:01:11","date_gmt":"2023-05-17T23:01:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2023\/05\/17\/montana-just-banned-tiktok\/"},"modified":"2023-05-17T23:01:11","modified_gmt":"2023-05-17T23:01:11","slug":"montana-just-banned-tiktok","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2023\/05\/17\/montana-just-banned-tiktok\/","title":{"rendered":"Montana just banned TikTok"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Montana Governor Greg Gianforte just signed the nation\u2019s strongest restrictions on Chinese-owned social media app TikTok<\/a> into law.<\/p>\n

TikTok has faced mounting pressure in the U.S. from Congress and state legislatures alike in recent months, but Montana\u2019s actions escalate those threats considerably, even if the issue of enforcement remains an open question.<\/p>\n

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To protect Montanans\u2019 personal and private data from the Chinese Communist Party, I have banned TikTok in Montana.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Governor Greg Gianforte (@GovGianforte) May 17, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cToday, Montana takes the most decisive action of any state to protect Montanans\u2019 private data and sensitive personal information from being harvested by the Chinese Communist Party,\u201d Gianforte said.<\/p>\n

In a statement, Gianforte claimed that it is \u201cwell documented\u201d that TikTok shares its data with the Chinese government \u2014 a claim that is not substantiated by public information about the app and how it operates.<\/p>\n

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TikTok is just one app tied to foreign adversaries. Today I directed the state\u2019s Chief Information Officer to ban any application that provides personal information or data to foreign adversaries from the state network. pic.twitter.com\/92Im6D9Jgx<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Governor Greg Gianforte (@GovGianforte) May 17, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

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While there is no evidence<\/a> that TikTok or its parent company ByteDance have ever shared the app\u2019s information with the Chinese government, TikTok has admitted to an incident in which employees spied on journalists\u2019 locations using app data \u2014 a scandal that\u2019s often cited in conversations around the app and privacy concerns.<\/p>\n

Lawmakers in Montana unveiled the TikTok ban bill earlier this year, kicking off a firestorm of debate around the ban and other proposals to limit the app\u2019s use in the U.S. While restrictions on the use of TikTok on government devices and campus networks are already commonplace, Montana\u2019s ban is designed to block app stores from distributing the app to any users within the state.<\/p>\n

Whether that would even be feasible remains to be seen. Google and Apple are likely to push back on state-level laws that limit where apps can be downloaded within the U.S. lest they face the logistical nightmare of more states legislatures issuing their own bans against TikTok or other apps. TikTok\u2019s users are likely to push back too, and the company has already been leveraging its enthusiastic user base<\/a> to oppose the Montana law.<\/p>\n

There are a ton of unknowns about how this will all play out, but the one certainty is that Montana\u2019s newest law is sure to face some strong challenges in court in the coming months. We\u2019ll be following along to see how it all goes down.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n