Montana lawmakers have passed a bill that would ban TikTok over concerns about the app’s connections to the Chinese government, making it the first state to do so. The bill, which is waiting to be signed into law by Republican Governor Greg Gianforte, would make it illegal to download TikTok in the state, with penalties of up to $10,000 a day for entities that make the app available. The ban would not come into effect until January 2024, but it is expected to be challenged in court by TikTok. Critics of the bill, including the ACLU, say it would violate free speech rights and set a precedent for government control of internet use. However, supporters point to a 2017 Chinese intelligence law that requires private companies to hand over data to the government on request, while some lawmakers view TikTok as a potential national security threat, fearing that the Chinese Communist Party could access the data of its 150 million American users. The Biden administration continues to negotiate with the company about its future in the US, ending with a call for TikTok to divest from its Beijing-based parent company. Congress also has proposed a bill allowing the Department of Commerce to ban apps controlled by “foreign adversaries,” a label that could apply to TikTok.
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