Montana Governor Greg Gianforte has officially banned TikTok in his state. Senate Bill 419 aims to protect the privacy and personal information of his state’s residents. The bill in question has been widely contested, as it covers the ban of applications sharing information to a “foreign adversary.” The bill has been criticized for being too general, and allowing too much to fall under it’s massive umbrella of terms.
“The Chinese Communist Party using TikTok to spy on Americans, violate their privacy, and collect their personal, private, and sensitive information is well-documented,” Gianforte said.
Back in 2020, then President Donald Trump made grandiose claims about China using the social media platform “to spy” on Americans. He sought to ban the app in the United States, unless an American company purchased it. Parent company ByteDance hasn’t found an American buyer yet.
President Joe Biden signed legislation banning the app from government devices in December of 2022. Obviously there’s more necessity to protect the information of government employees.
The American Civil Liberties Union has cited the ban as being unconstitutional, and TikTok agrees.
