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Montana becomes 1st US state to ban TikTok amid cybersecurity concerns

May 18th 2023, 10:45:52 am

TikTok has already been banned on government-issued devices in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Britain and the U.S.

TikTok reports that it has up to 150 million monthly active users in the U.S. [Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images]

"To protect Montanans' personal and private data from the Chinese Communist Party, I have banned Tiktok in Montana," Gianforte tweeted after signing the bill.

The new rule prohibits app stores from offering the video-sharing app from January 1, 2024 and prevents TikTok from operating as a business in the state.

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For those who violate and the social media platform is still available, app providers would have to pay a $10,000 fine.

Users do not face a fine and those who already have the app on their own devices are not affected.

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Lawsuits challenging the ban based on the right to freedom of expression are expected.

Owned by Chinese company ByteDance, TikTok has already been banned on government-issued devices in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Britain and the U.S., amid cybersecurity concerns.

The app has more than a billion users worldwide and is widely used in the U.S. and Europe, fuelling fears that Chinese authorities and secret services might use the app to collect information from users or to spread influence.

The company has rejected such allegations.

News Agency Of Nigeria

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