Global Courant 2023-04-15 05:27:29
The vote is likely to spark legal challenges as US politicians raise concerns about the app’s ties to China.
Montana lawmakers have passed a bill to ban the popular short video app TikTok from operating in the state, the latest threat to the app’s existence in the United States.
The bill, known as SB 419, would prohibit mobile app stores from offering TikTok for download to users in Montana. The Montana House voted 54 to 43 to pass the ban.
TikTok, as well as Apple and Google, which operate mobile app stores, would face fines if they violate the ban, should the bill become law. It is not clear how the state will enforce the ban.
The bill now goes to Montana Governor Greg Gianforte for signature.
“The governor will carefully consider any bill that the legislature sends to his desk,” a spokesman for the Montana governor’s office said.
TikTok said in a statement: “We will continue to fight for TikTok users and creators in Montana whose livelihoods and First Amendment rights are threatened by this blatant government overreach.”
TikTok, which is owned by Chinese technology company ByteDance, is facing increasing calls from some US lawmakers to ban the app across the country over concerns about possible Chinese government influence over the platform.
Last month, a congressional committee questioned TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew about whether the Chinese government has access to user data or can influence what Americans see in the app.
TikTok has repeatedly denied it ever shared data with the Chinese government and has said the company will not do so if asked.
The company is working on an initiative called Project Texas, which is creating a standalone entity to store US user data in the US on servers operated by technology company Oracle.
