Leave it to the feds: TikTok sues Montana
Montana became the first U.S. state to ban TikTok due to privacy concerns, and now the company has sued the state to reverse the decision.
The TikTok ban has always been on the table in the U.S. for the past couple of months. Montana took the first step and issued a statewide ban against privacy concerns caused by the Chinese social media platform TikTok, but the company is looking to dodge it.
The case, which was submitted on Monday in the United States District Court for the District of Montana, seeks to have the restriction reversed because it is "unlawful" and violates the free speech rights of Americans. TikTok also said that the allegations are federal concerns and the Montana state should not attempt to regulate the application.
"We are challenging Montana's unconstitutional TikTok ban to protect our business and the hundreds of thousands of TikTok users in Montana. We believe our legal challenge will prevail based on an exceedingly strong set of precedents and facts," TikTok said in its statement.
For the official lawsuit with all the details, click here.
Privacy concerns hurt TikTok, especially in the U.S.
A bill that Governor Greg Gianforte signed into law forbids the use of TikTok in the state beginning on January 1, 2024. This move, intended to protect the privacy and personal information of Montanans, is a significant development in the ongoing worries over the Chinese-owned app.
- Read Also: Explained: What data does TikTok collect?
Despite being one of the most popular social media platforms in the market, TikTok is getting too much criticism and hate from the United States government and people. It is believed that the company is sharing users' private information with the Chinese government.
The United States banned TikTok from government devices, and many other countries, including the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Ireland, and Canada, have also issued similar bans on the app. Moreover, BBC and Denmark's public service broadcaster have also restricted employees from using TikTok on company-issued devices.
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“This move, intended to protect the privacy and personal information of Montanans”
I know that you’re not a journalist, only an internet blogger, but I suggest you make a difference between declarations and your account of the situation, for example by using punctuation such as quotation marks.
This move is intended as economic protectionism against a competitor. This has nothing to do with privacy considering that it’s worse in the US. So it’s not a gesture of privacy vs free speech, it’s against both.