Tiktok sues against ban in the US state of Montana

“We are challenging Montana’s unconstitutional Tiktok ban to protect our company and hundreds of thousands of Montana Tiktok users,” the company said on Twitter Monday. There are a number of precedents that Tiktok says have put the company in a strong legal position.

Montana last week became the first US state to ban Tiktok. The law, signed by Governor Greg Gianforte, prohibits download platforms from offering the app from January 1, 2024. Users should not be penalized for keeping and using Tiktok on their devices. In the northwestern state, however, Tiktok should no longer operate as a company.

Tiktok belongs to the Chinese internet group Bytedance and is under strong political pressure in the US. President Joe Biden’s administration banned its employees from using the app on mobile phones.

An investigation has been underway in the US for months that could lead to a nationwide ban on Tiktok if there is no change of ownership. The background is the concern that the Chinese authorities and secret services could collect information about Americans through Tiktok and influence them politically. The company’s legal objection and lawsuits from individuals may delay or prevent the enactment of the law.

Critics of the state’s actions say it exceeds its authority to issue such a ban on national security or foreign policy grounds. Nor should Montana ban an entire platform just because the state considers some of the statements made there, which are protected by free speech, to be dangerous. (sda/dpa)