Montana seeks January implementation of TikTok ban amid legal battle

Montana is seeking permission from a federal judge to enforce its law banning new downloads of the TikTok app starting in January, even as a legal challenge filed by TikTok and several content creators is ongoing. The state’s response opposes the plaintiffs’ request to temporarily halt the law’s implementation, arguing that the law protects the public from potential national security risks associated with TikTok, owned by the Chinese company ByteDance.

Montana’s Attorney General, Austin Knudsen, raised concerns about the app’s potential to provide the Chinese government access to US citizens’ information or spread misleading information. Despite TikTok’s claims to the contrary, these concerns have prompted federal and state-level actions against the app’s usage.

The Montana law aims to prevent downloads of TikTok within the state and would impose fines on app stores or TikTok itself for each instance someone is allowed to access or download the app. Montana asserts that this regulation is essential to safeguard the public from the perceived risks tied to TikTok, comparing it to preventing the use of a radio that transmits protected speech if it’s also linked to harmful effects.

TikTok has maintained that it implements content moderation and safeguards for minors and denies sharing user data with China. However, critics have pointed out China’s law compelling companies to cooperate in matters of state intelligence.

Why does it matter?

As technology continues to shape our lives and geopolitical rivalries, intensify, this case underlines the broader struggle governments face while grappling with the complexities of modern tech policy. It sheds light on the intricate dilemmas of striking the right balance between safeguarding individual rights and upholding national security interests within the evolving technological landscape.