Judge Blocks TikTok Ban in Montana

(RepublicanPress.org) – For years, the US and several state governments have considered banning TikTok. In fact, the app is currently banned from government devices in at least half the states of America and at the federal level. The reason for the concern about TikTok lies with its owner — Bytedance. That company is based in China, giving rise to fears that the Chinese Communist Party could access data and information from US citizens at any time. In May, Montana took the ban a step further, applying it to the entire state. Recently, the court weighed in on the matter.

On November 30, CBS News reported that a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction, temporarily blocking the ban, which was set to take effect on January 1, 2024. Judge Donald Malloy ruled that TikTok would likely prevail in the case due to a couple of issues, including that banning the app would rob the people of Montana of their First Amendment rights. A TikTok spokesperson told the outlet the company was “pleased” by the judge’s ruling, agreeing that a ban was unconstitutional. The company’s representative noted that the decision enables “Montanans [to] continue to express themselves… and find community” on the app.

Montana's TikTok ban, which was originally signed into law in May, was blocked by a federal judge on Thursday.

The ban, the first such statewide legislation restricting use of the video platform, was set to begin on January 1. https://t.co/9rgNW0Xo0M

— CBS News (@CBSNews) December 1, 2023

Still, Malloy’s ruling was not the final word on the matter. The issue is still in the court system. According to Reuters, a spokesperson for Montana State Attorney General Austin Knudsen’s office said it was looking forward to the next steps the AG has to take to “defend the law.” The spokesperson said the attorney general wants to stop the CCP from gaining access to Montanans’ data and using it. TikTok insists that isn’t happening. TikTok CEO Shou Chew testified before Congress earlier in 2023. He said Bytedance is a private company and is not under the control of the CCP. He said “American data” would be stored on “American soil” by an “American company overseen by American personnel.”