Mont. lawmakers pass TikTok ban

Montana on Friday became the first US state to pass an outright ban on TikTok, and federal lawmakers are still threatening the social media giant with a nationwide ban if it isn't sold away from its Chinese parent company ByteDance to a company outside of China. Several countries, including the US, have already blocked the app from being downloaded on government-issued devices, citing security concerns. Some are concerned about the possibility the Chinese government could use data from the app to spy on officials or journalists, which TikTok has said has not and will not happen. Other countries like Afghanistan and India have introduced total bans of the app out of concerns with the content available on the app, or conflicts with China. In my latest for Insider, here's a list of countries with partial or total bans on TikTok, as pressure of a possible US ban builds: https://lnkd.in/gVQZ4kBT #socialmedia #security #tiktok #tiktokban #china

On Friday afternoon, Montana's House of Representatives voted in favor of a bill to ban TikTok within state lines, after the Montana Senate approved it in March. The bill is now pending approval from the state's governor Greg Gianforte. If signed, it'll take effect starting January 2024, and ban TikTok from nearly all personal devices and app stores. Read more on Insider. #tiktok #tiktokban

The legislation makes it illegal for app stores to offer TikTok. It does not, however, forbid those who already have TikTok from using it. Violations of the bill could carry a penalty of up to $10,000 (￡8,000), which would be enforced by Montana's Department of Justice. The penalties apply to companies, rather than individual users.

In a first of its kind, in what others are sure to follow, Montana lawmakers on Friday approved a first-of-its-kind bill to ban TikTok across the state, setting the stage for future court battles that could determine the fate in the U.S. of the popular, Chinese-owned social media app. The Montana House voted 54-43?to send the bill to Gov. Greg Gianforte’s desk. The bill said the ban would go into effect on Jan. 1, 2024. It would prohibit TikTok, owned by Beijing-based ByteDance Ltd., from operating within the state, and would also bar app stores from offering TikTok within the state. It would fine any entity violating this law $10,000 per violation. It is unclear how some elements of the legislation would be enforced. https://lnkd.in/gzB5uvid

Montana is very close to becoming the first state to completely ban TikTok. Lawmakers voted in favor of a bill that would ban app stores from offering the app in the state earlier today. The bill now heads to Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte's desk to be signed into law. If signed, the law will likely face legal challenges in the courts. More details on how this might all go down here: https://lnkd.in/g-GzyDXD