Montana Governor Greg Gianforte has recently enacted a groundbreaking measure, becoming the first in the United States to ban the popular social media app TikTok within the state.
The legislation, known as SB 419, specifically prohibits TikTok from operating within Montana’s territorial jurisdiction and mandates that mobile app stores restrict access to the app for residents of the state.
“To protect Montanans’ personal and private data from the Chinese Communist Party, I have banned TikTok in Montana,” Gianforte tweeted today.
TikTok spokesperson Brooke Oberwetter responded with a statement on Twitter. “Governor Gianforte has signed a bill that infringes on the First Amendment rights of the people of #Montana by unlawfully banning #TikTok, a platform that empowers hundreds of thousands of people across the state,” Oberwetter wrote. “We want to reassure Montanans that they can continue using TikTok to express themselves, earn a living, and find community as we continue working to defend the rights of our users inside and outside of Montana.”
1/2 TikTok's statement: "Governor Gianforte has signed a bill that infringes on the First Amendment rights of the people of #Montana by unlawfully banning #TikTok, a platform that empowers hundreds of thousands of people across the state." https://t.co/rLKiZO9J4N
— Brooke Oberwetter (@brookeOB1) May 17, 2023
Montana’s ban won’t take effect for months, so federal lawmakers could move fast enough to moot its effects. But for now, it’s a signal that politicians have few qualms about wiping a popular social network off Americans’ phones.
