On Friday, Montana lawmakers banned TikTok from functioning in the state, the latest threat to the Chinese-owned app’s U.S. presence.
SB 419 would ban Montana mobile app shops from selling TikTok. Montana House approved the prohibition 54-43.
If the measure passes, mobile app shops Apple, Google, and TikTok would be fined for violating the prohibition.
The state’s prohibition enforcement is unclear.
Montana Governor Greg Gianforte must sign the law.
“The governor will carefully consider any bill the legislature sends to his desk,” stated a Montana governor’s spokeswoman.
TikTok stated: “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.”
Some U.S. politicians want to prohibit ByteDance’s TikTok amid fears about Chinese government involvement.
Last month, a congressional committee questioned TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew about whether the Chinese government might access user data or influence American content.
TikTok has frequently denied sharing data with the Chinese authorities and stated it would not do so if requested.
Project Texas creates an independent organization to keep American user data on Oracle servers in the U.S.
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