Montana vs TikTok: Tech Giant Fights Back

Last week Montana’s Governor Greg Gianforte signed a bill to ban TikTok in the state, and Monday TikTok responded. Monday TikTok filed a lawsuit against the state of Montana for signing a law into effect to ban the app starting January 1, 2024.

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The Bill

The bill, signed last week, would impose a hefty fine of $10,000 a day to TikTok or the app store for making the app available in the state after January 1, 2024. While other states are coming up with plans to combat TikTok Montana’s ban takes any sort of restriction against the Chinese social media company a step further. Though there are clear legal battles the state will have to withstand to keep their new law.

Emily Flower, a spokesperson for Montana’s Attorney General, told CNN: “We expected legal challenges and are fully prepared to defend the law that helps protect Montanans’ privacy and security.”

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The Backlash

As could be expected TikTok is fighting the legislation. One TikTok spokesperson said that they are looking at legal options, as they set up and serve a lawsuit to the state to continue to provide their platform to thousands of Montana residents.

“We are challenging Montana’s unconstitutional TikTok ban to protect our business and the hundreds of thousands of TikTok users in Montana,” TikTok spokesperson Brooke Oberwetter said in a statement. “We believe our legal challenge will prevail based on an exceedingly strong set of precedents and facts.”

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Opposition doesn’t stop there. China is even getting in on the fight against Montana.

China’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday slammed Montana’s ban as an “abuse of state power.”

“I want to stress that the US side has not provided any evidence to prove that TikTok poses a threat to the national security of the US,” ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a regular briefing.

TikTok is fighting to end the ban and seeks permanent access to the state, but do you think that is the best idea? Should TikTok be allowed? Does Montana have a leg to stand on? Who do you think will win this battle?