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State officials say the app allows China to spy on and manipulate users
Legislation in the U.S. state of Montana has passed a law to ban TikTok, making it the first governing body to ban the application to the general public in North America. Governor Greg Gianforte’s signature is all the remains before the ban can take affect.
Starting in January 1, 2024, Google’s Play Store and Apple’s App Store will not be allowed to distribute TikTok, as local officials believe it allows China to spy on and manipulate users. The popular app is seen as a threat to U.S. national security as well as being a danger to mental health.
The constitutionality of this law is expected to be challenged in court.
Opponents of the legislation say it is unconstitutional to limit free speech and impractical to implement, claiming the law was driven by anti-Chinese bias. Further criticism claims that the data privacy, misinformation and adverse health concerns apply to other social networks as well.
TikTok’s owner, ByteDance, was previously warned by the United States government to sell the app or face a widespread ban, which seems increasingly possible after the brutal grilling of the social media platform’s CEO by Washington lawmakers, and legislations worldwide to limit its distribution.
On a narrower scale, Britain banned the Chinese-owned video-sharing app from ministers’ and civil servants’ devices, mirroring similar actions already taken by the United States and the European Commission.
Still, to do act on a larger scale, U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration has moved carefully before denying 150 million American users their favorite platform over its links to China – especially after a previous effort by former president Donald Trump was struck down.
It remains to be seen if the law in Montana will stand the test of the Supreme Court and local constituents – and their children.
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