FILE – This photo shows a TikTok app logo in Tokyo on Sept. 28, 2020 (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, File)
Lawmakers in Montana became the first US state on Friday to pass legislation banning TikTok on all personal devices, and now it will be sent to Gov. Greg Gianforte prohibiting TikTok from operating within state lines and barring app stores from offering TikTok for downloads.
This marks the furthest step yet by a state government to restrict TikTok over perceived security concerns and comes as some federal lawmakers have called for a national ban of TikTok.
Lawmakers in Montana’s House voted 54-43 to give final approval to the bill, known as SB419. Should Gianforte sign the bill, it would take effect in January. But the legislation could quickly face significant legal challenges.
Montana’s GOP-controlled legislature, is more sweeping than bans in place in nearly half the states and the U.S. federal government that prohibit TikTok on government devices.
The Tik Tok Ban Bill will now go to Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte for his signature. He has banned TikTok on government devices in Montana. The Senate passed the bill 30-20 in March.
