TikTok users file lawsuit to block Montana ban

Montana Governor Greg Gianforte signed a law Wednesday banning TikTok in the state, effective January 1, 2024. Five users have sought to block the law from being implemented. The lawsuit, filed late Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Montana, names the state's Attorney General, Austin Knudsen, who is responsible for enforcing the law.

tiktok user sues montana state photo 1 — Tiktok logo. Photo: Reuters

According to the lawsuit, these users believe the law violates their First Amendment rights. “Montana cannot ban its residents from viewing or posting on TikTok any more than it can ban the Wall Street Journal because of who owns it or the ideas it publishes,” the lawsuit says.

Emily Flower, a spokeswoman for Attorney General Knudsen, said the state is prepared for lawsuits.

TikTok, owned by ByteDance, is facing bans across the US over data risks.

TikTok said Montana's ban "violates the First Amendment rights of Montanans by unlawfully banning TikTok" and said it would "continue to work to protect the rights of our users inside and outside of Montana."

TikTok has repeatedly denied that it has ever shared data with Chinese authorities and said the company would not do so if asked.

The case was assigned to Judge Donald Molloy, who was appointed by Democratic President Bill Clinton in 1995.

Montana, which has a population of just over 1 million, said TikTok could face fines for each violation and an additional $10,000 fine per day for violating the ban.

Mai Anh (according to Reuters)

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