New York
CNN
—
Montana Governor Greg Gianforte he tweeted Wednesday that it has banned TikTok in the state “to protect the personal and private data of Montanans from the Chinese Communist Party.”
The controversial law marks the furthest step by a state government to restrict TikTok over perceived security concerns and comes as some federal lawmakers have called for a nationwide ban on TikTok. But it is expected to be challenged in court.
The bill, which will take effect in January, specifically names TikTok as its target, banning the app from operating across state lines. The law also outlines potential fines of $10,000 a day for violators, including app stores that host the social media app.
Last month, Montana House lawmakers voted 54-43 to approve the bill, known as SB419, sending it to Gianforte’s desk.
The law comes as TikTok faces growing criticism over its ties to China. TikTok is owned by China-based ByteDance. Many US officials have expressed fears that the Chinese government could access US data through TikTok for espionage purposes, although so far there is no evidence that the Chinese government has ever accessed personal information of TikTok users in the United States.
This is breaking news and will be updated.
