The first total ban on the TikTok social network in the US is approved. Which state vetoed it?

Lawmakers in the northwestern US state of Montana on Friday approved a total ban on TikTok since 2024, increasing pressure against the popular video platform accused of being a tool of the Chinese Communist Party.

The initiative, the first of its kind in a US state, was adopted by a vote of 54 in favor and 43 against and will serve as legal evidence for a nationwide ban on the platform owned by the Chinese group ByteDance, something that lawmakers in Washington are asking for more and more.

If signed into law by the Montana governor, the bill will be the subject of an unprecedented and furious fight by TikTok in state and US courts.

Before the vote, a TikTok spokeswoman said that the constitutionality of the bill would ultimately “It will be decided by the courts.”.

“We will continue to fight for TikTok users and creators in Montana whose livelihoods and First Amendment rights are threatened by this egregious government overreach.”, added the spokeswoman.

Under the proposed law, Apple and Google would have to remove TikTok from their app stores and the companies would face daily fines of $10,000 if found to have broken the law.

The proposed ban would go into effect in 2024, but it faces almost certain legal challenges, given its unprecedented nature in the United States.

The bill is the latest skirmish in the duel between TikTok and many Western governments, with the app already banned from government devices in the United States, Canada and several countries in Europe.

And despite its immense popularity, TikTok is also facing an ultimatum from the White House to part ways with its Chinese owners or stop operating in the United States.

The app is accused by a wide range of US politicians of being a ward of the Chinese government and of being a spy tool for Beijing, something the company denies.

Introducing the bill Thursday, Montana State Representative Brandon Ler said the Chinese Communist Party “hides behind TikTok to spy on Americans”.

Freedom of expression

Legal analysts and critics insist the bill goes too far and remains largely symbolic, and that pushing for such a drastic measure is nearly impossible at the local level.

“How they would actually implement this bill seems very unclear.”says Andrew Selepak, a professor of social media at the University of Florida.

The bill “seems more of a statement of sorts than practical”, he added.

Free speech advocates opposed the law.

“Passage of this law would violate the First Amendment and trample on the constitutional right of Montana citizens to free speech”, said a letter addressed to Montana legislators by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other associations.

Montana’s crackdown on TikTok It comes as the app grapples with other proposals for domestic legislation, including a bill that could give the White House massive new powers to oversee Chinese tech companies.

Last month, TikTok chief Shou Zi Chew faced a grueling five-hour questioning by combative US lawmakers from both political camps over the app’s ties to China.