Montana Governor Greg Gianforte on Wednesday signed legislation banning Chinese-owned TikTok from operating in the state to protect residents from alleged intelligence gathering by China, making it the first US state to ban the popular short video app, reported news agency Reuters.
Montana will make it unlawful for Google and Apple’s app stores to offer TikTok within the state, but will not impose any penalties on individuals using the app. However, if the app stores found to host the social media application, a fine of $10,000 per day will be imposed.
The ban is to take effect from January 1, 2024, and is almost certain to face legal challenges. However, cybersecurity experts say it could be difficult to enforce the ban.
Ban Chinese app: The bill signed by the governor banning the app is aimed at protecting citizens from foreign influence since TikTok is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance.
According to news agency The Associated Press, some lawmakers, the FBI and officials at other agencies are concerned the video-sharing app, owned by ByteDance, could be used to allow the Chinese government to access information on American citizens or push pro-Beijing misinformation that could influence the public. TikTok says none of this has ever happened.
Earlier, a former executive at ByteDance alleged that the tech giant is serving as a “propaganda tool” for the Chinese government, a claim which was denied by ByteDance calling it baseless.
