Montana set to become first US state to ban TikTok downloads
State legislature passes bill prohibiting new downloads amid security concerns over the Chinese-owned app
Montana is set to become the first US state to ban downloads of TikTok.
Lawmakers in the state on Friday passed a bill effectively banning its residents from downloading the social media app, whose parent company ByteDance is linked to the Chinese regime.
The bill makes it illegal for app stores to allow users to download the app as well as prohibiting ByteDance from operating in the state.
After the passing of the bill, TikTok accused Montana of “egregious government overreach”.
The new law will not prevent users who currently have TikTok from accessing the app but the move nonetheless represents the most severe action against the company by a US state.
It comes after TikTok's chief executive was forced to answer questions in Congress last month amid concerns in the US over ByteDance's alleged access to US users’ data.
Republicans are fighting for a US-wide ban of the app as fears grow that the Chinese government is using it to spy on Americans.
The White House last month told TikTok that it will be banned in the US if it is not spun off from its Chinese shareholders.
Legislators in Montana were forced to accept a softened version of the bill after failing to convince the state representatives that the bill should also force internet providers to block TikTok across the state.
The bill, which eventually passed by a vote of 54 to 43, is expected to be signed into law by Greg Gianforte, the state's Republican governor, who has banned TikTok on government devices in Montana.
If passed, the law will come into effect next year, affecting Montana’s 1.1 million residents. App stores could face fines of up to $10,000 if a user is able to download the app.
A spokesperson for TikTok told NBC News: “The bill’s champions have admitted that they have no feasible plan for operationalising this attempt to censor American voices and that the bill’s constitutionality will be decided by the courts.
“We will continue to fight for TikTok users and creators in Montana whose livelihoods and First Amendment rights are threatened by this egregious government overreach.”