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US-China relations
China

TikTok ban: Montana becomes first US state to fully prohibit use of popular China-owned app

  • Signed by Republican governor, new law would take effect in January and impose a US$10,000 fine on any entity permitting the app’s downloading
  • Company owned by Chinese tech firm ByteDance says bill ‘infringes on the First Amendment rights of the people of Montana’

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Greg Gianforte, the state’s Republican governor, signs the measure into law in Helena, Montana, on Wednesday. Photo: Montana Governor’s Office via AP
Robert Delaneyin Washington
Montana Governor Greg Gianforte signed into law on Wednesday a bill that completely bans TikTok in the northern US state, making it the most stringent measure in the country among initiatives restricting usage of the popular video-sharing app.

The law, which is set to take effect in January, will impose a US$10,000 fine on any entity that permits downloading of the platform – TikTok itself or app stores – and add the same amount each day a violation continues.

Gianforte wrote on Twitter that the law was necessary “to protect Montanans’ personal and private data from the Chinese Communist Party”, and was likely to spark legal challenges.
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TikTok, which has more than 100 million users in the US, is owned by Chinese tech company ByteDance.

“Today, Montana takes the most decisive action of any state to protect Montanans’ private data and sensitive personal information from being harvested by the Chinese Communist Party,” Gianforte said in a statement.

Montana Governor Greg Gianforte speaks at a bill-signing ceremony on the steps of the state capitol in Helena on May 3. Photo: Independent Record via AP
Montana Governor Greg Gianforte speaks at a bill-signing ceremony on the steps of the state capitol in Helena on May 3. Photo: Independent Record via AP

While many US lawmakers see TikTok as a conduit for the Chinese government to harvest private data on Americans and deliver content detrimental to young people, the company has insisted it is taking measures to ensure that does not happen.

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