TikTok has sought a court order to block the enactment of a policy that will soon bar the Chinese-owned app in Montana. The ban, set to take effect in January, prohibits app stores from offering TikTok to residents, making it the first state to fully ban the app. Less than a day after the law was signed, a group of five TikTok users filed a lawsuit, arguing that the ban infringed on their First Amendment rights and exceeded Montana's legal authority as a state. - TikTok is funding that lawsuit, according to The New York Times.
- The company has now asked a U.S. District Judge for a preliminary injunction to block the ban, saying it infringes on federal law and the Constitution's Commerce Clause, which limits a state's authority to pass laws that unduly impact commerce.
- A TikTok executive argued that the ban would cause significant harm to the company's business and relationships with advertisers and partners.
With over 150 million U.S. users, TikTok has faced calls for a nationwide ban due to concerns about potential foreign influence and safeguarding of user data. - However, TikTok's parent company ByteDance, which is based in Beijing, insists it has not shared U.S. user data with the Chinese government and has taken measures to protect user privacy and security.
- TikTok estimates that 200,000 people in Montana use the app.
|
