TikTok files lawsuit against Montana ban

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Montana, also argues that the ban encroaches on federal regulations and violates the U.S. Constitution's Commerce Clause, which limits states' authority to enact laws that unduly harm commerce between states and nations.

tiktok to petition montana state police picture 1 — Photo: Reuters

TikTok, owned by ByteDance and used by more than 150 million Americans, has faced growing calls from US lawmakers and officials to ban the app nationwide over concerns about user privacy and national security risks.

Montana could impose a $10,000 fine on TikTok for each violation, with an additional $10,000 fine per day for each additional violation of the ban. The law does not apply to individual TikTok users.

Former President Donald Trump in 2020 sought to ban downloads of Chinese-owned TikTok and WeChat, but a series of court decisions prevented the bans from taking effect.

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner said the court's reversal of Montana's ban would make it more likely that Congress would consider passing legislation to ban TikTok and other foreign-owned apps.

TikTok is estimated to have hundreds of thousands of users in the state of Montana, which has a total population of only about 1.1 million.

TikTok has said that it "has not shared US user data with the Chinese government and has taken significant measures to protect the privacy and security of TikTok users."

Last week, five TikTok users in Montana filed a lawsuit in federal court to block the ban, targeting Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, who is responsible for enforcing the law.

Bui Huy (according to Reuters)

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