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TikTok Sues Montana Over Ban

By Oke Odunmorayo

23 May 2023   |   10:45 am

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TikTok, the popular short-form video app, has filed a lawsuit against the state of Montana over a bill that would ban the app. The bill, which was passed by the Montana Legislature last week, would make it a crime to use TikTok in the state. TikTok argues that the bill is unconstitutional and that it…

(FILES) In this file photo taken on August 27, 2020, the TikTok logo is displayed outside a TikTok office in Culver City, California. – US officials on September 18, 2020, ordered a ban on downloads of the popular Chinese-owned mobile applications WeChat and TikTok from September 20, saying they threaten national security. The move comes amid rising US-China tensions over technology and a Trump administration effort to engineer a sale of the video app TikTok to American investors. (Photo by MARIO TAMA / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)

TikTok, the popular short-form video app, has filed a lawsuit against the state of Montana over a bill that would ban the app. The bill, which was passed by the Montana Legislature last week, would make it a crime to use TikTok in the state.

TikTok argues that the bill is unconstitutional and that it would violate the First Amendment rights of its users. The company also says that the bill is based on false and misleading information about TikTok’s data security practices.

“TikTok is a popular and widely used app that provides a platform for people to express themselves and connect with others,” TikTok said in a statement. “The bill passed by the Montana Legislature is unconstitutional and would violate the First Amendment rights of our users. We are confident that the courts will strike down this discriminatory law.”

The lawsuit is the latest in a series of legal challenges facing TikTok. The company has also been sued by the Trump administration, which accused TikTok of posing a national security threat. TikTok has denied those allegations.

The Montana lawsuit is scheduled to be heard in federal court in Missoula, Montana.

Background
TikTok is a social media platform that allows users to create and share short videos. The app has been downloaded over 2 billion times and is used by people of all ages around the world.

In recent years, TikTok has come under fire for its data security practices. The company has been accused of collecting and storing user data in China, which could be accessed by the Chinese government. TikTok has denied these allegations and says that it takes user privacy seriously.

The bill passed by the Montana Legislature would make it a crime to use TikTok in the state. The bill’s supporters say that TikTok is a national security threat because it could be used by the Chinese government to collect data on American citizens. TikTok has denied these allegations and says that it is committed to protecting the privacy of its users.

The lawsuit filed by TikTok could have a significant impact on the future of the app in Montana. If the lawsuit is successful, it could invalidate the ban on TikTok and allow the app to continue to be used in the state. This would be a major victory for TikTok and its users in Montana.

However, if the lawsuit is unsuccessful, it could set a precedent for other states to ban TikTok. This would be a major setback for TikTok and could limit its reach in the United States.

The outcome of the lawsuit is still uncertain, but it is clear that the future of TikTok in Montana is at stake.