The U.S. state of Montana (with a population of over a million) could become the first in the U.S. to ban TikTok entirely, and the action should serve as a “test” for similar measures elsewhere in the country.
In practical terms, Montana’s bill aims to ban TikTok “downloads” statewide (the fourth largest in the US).
TikTok remains under scrutiny from the public and the government. The fact that the social network is owned by the Chinese technology company ByteDance, which has expressed concern that it can transfer user data to the Chinese government or spread disinformation and pro-Beijing propaganda, is in question.
Although there is no evidence, it is known that under Chinese law, companies in the country are required to cooperate with the government in the work of state intelligence. The TikTok takeover is happening all over the world.
Australia has already banned the app on government devices, and the UK data protection regulator has fined the social network €14.4 million for various violations.
Here, let me remind you, the social network is the subject of two lawsuits brought by the non-governmental organization Ius Omnibus, which require the conviction of the platform for illegal actions and compensation, which can reach 1.12 billion euros.