From 2024, TikTok will be banned in the US state of Montana. Five users are now fighting back and filing a lawsuit. They receive support from China.
After the Chinese short video app TikTok was banned in the US state of Montana, a group of TikTok users has now filed a lawsuit against the new law. As the five users explained in the lawsuit filed late Wednesday night in Montana’s U.S. District Court, the ban violated their rights as citizens. In addition, the state would behave as if it were allowed to make national security decisions, which was not the case.
With the lawsuit they want to prevent the ban, which Montana governor Greg Gianforte signed on Wednesday. Under the new law, Google and Apple app stores are prohibited from offering TikTok within state lines.
If the app stores or TikTok violate this rule, they will face fines for each violation, plus additional fines of $10,000 per day. Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen has not yet commented on the lawsuit.
“Chinese Communist Party Surveillance”
According to Governor Gianforte, the ban is designed to protect Montana citizens “from surveillance by the Chinese Communist Party” and will take effect January 1, 2024. Montana is the first state in the US to ban the social media platform, which is especially popular among young people, because of possible influence from the Chinese government.
TikTok is owned by the Chinese technology company ByteDance. The ban in Montana was commented on the platform as a violation of civil rights. We will continue to work to defend user rights inside and outside Montana. The company has repeatedly denied ever sharing data with the Chinese government.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
