First Big Sky gets canceled, and now this?! Montana has become the first state in the country to ban TikTok. Per The Guardian, Governor Greg Gianforte signed into law a bill that prohibits app stores from offering TikTok within the the state by next year. Less than a week after the news, TikTok fought back with a lawsuit against the state, citing the first amendment. The social-media app, owned by China’s ByteDance, has come under U.S. scrutiny for fears that it gives user data to the Chinese government. In March, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testified before a technology-bewildered Congress. The five-hour hearing was memed to shit and even inspired thirsty fancams of Chew.
The Montana law would fine any “entity†$10,000 for every day TikTok is available to Montanans. Penalties do not apply to users, rather app stores and the app itself would face the fine. The law is expected to face legal challenges, with the policy director for Montana’s ACLU chapter saying the law “trampled on the free speech of hundreds of thousands of Montanans who use the app to express themselves, gather information, and run their small business in the name of anti-Chinese sentiment.â€