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According to the ban recently signed by Montana Governor Greg Gianforte, TikTok will not be allowed to operate within the territory of Montana, a state with a population of just over 1 million people.
Thus, starting January 1, 2024, Montana will become the first state in the US to block downloads of the world's most popular short video app. The platform will be fined $10,000 for each violation if users in Montana are able to access/are provided with access to or download TikTok, and may face an additional $10,000 fine per day for non-compliance.
Additionally, the Google Play and App Stores offering TikTok within the state of Montana are also deemed illegal. Apple and Google will have to remove TikTok from their app stores, or face a $10,000 fine per day for each violation. However, these fines will not apply to individual TikTok users.
Following the move, a TikTok spokesperson stated that the ban “violates the First Amendment rights of Montana residents by unlawfully banning TikTok,” and affirmed that TikTok “will protect the rights of its users inside and outside Montana.”
Previously, in late December 2022, Governor Greg Gianforte banned the use of the TikTok app on all state government devices, citing that TikTok posed a “significant risk” to sensitive state data. Currently, more than half of the US states and the federal government have issued similar bans to Montana.
According to data from the Pew Research Center cited by US media, 67% of American teenagers aged 13-17 use TikTok, and 16% of them say they use the app regularly. Meanwhile, TikTok states that the majority of its users are over 18 years old.
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