The TikTok logo displayed on a mobile phone.
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Approved by Montana legislators invoice TikTok Banned From 54-43 States On Friday voteBill SB 419 is now seeking approval from Republican Governor Greg Gianforte of Montana.
TikTok, which is owned by China’s ByteDance, is likely to take action to stop the bill from becoming law. If implemented, it would be the first statewide ban of its kind.
Across Montana, lawmakers have for months Ban To TikTok nationwide if ByteDance doesn’t sell its stake in the viral video app. This threat poses a serious potential challenge for TokTok, which has invested millions of dollars in countering this effort.
The Montana bill cites potential Chinese surveillance and the potential theft of state intellectual property as part of the driving force behind the ban.If legislation were enacted, mobile app store providers would apple and Google TikTok downloads from within Montana must be disabled, and TikTok is prohibited from providing a platform to state residents.
The ban will take effect on January 1, 2024.
“TikTok’s ability to steal information and data from its users and share that data with the Chinese Communist Party unacceptably violates Montana’s privacy rights,” the bill said. Montana is he one of the least populated states in the United States. slightly 1 million inhabitants as of the 2020 Census.
Gianforte knows the technology industry well. Prior to his public office, he ran RightNow Technologies, a software company he founded in 1997. Oracle Acquired RightNow for $1.5 billion in 2012. As of 2018, Gianforte had an estimated net worth of over $189 million. OpenSecrets.org.
In 2020, Oracle agreed to provide backend technology to TikTok as part of a deal to keep the app from being banned by the U.S. government at the time. cloud hosting service For all TikTok use in the US
Customers in Montana will not be fined for failing to comply with or circumventing the ban. But companies, including TikTok, face fines of $10,000 per violation if they are found to have circumvented the ban.
Republican State Senator Sherry Vance sponsored the bill. Vance did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
TikTok opposed the bill, adding that there is no clear path for the Montana government to enforce it or punish violators.
In a statement, TikTok said, “The bill’s backers acknowledged that there was no viable plan for operating this attempt to censor America’s Voice and that the constitutionality of the bill would be determined by the courts.” We will continue to fight for TikTok users and creators in Montana whose livelihoods and First Amendment rights are threatened by this egregious government overreach.”
