Montana says 1stinnation TikTok ban protects people. TikTok says it violates their rights

News Summary

  • More than half of U.S. states and the federal government have a similar ban.On Wednesday, Gianforte also announced he was prohibiting the use of all social media applications tied to foreign adversaries on state equipment and for state businesses in Montana effective on June 1.
  • It’s also touting a data safety plan it calls “Project Texas” to assuage bipartisan concerns in Washington.At the same time, some lawmakers have emerged as allies, arguing efforts to restrict data harvesting practices need to include all social media companies, not just one.
  • The penalties would not apply to users.Opponents say Montana residents could easily circumvent the ban by using a virtual private network, a service that shields internet users by encrypting their data traffic, preventing others from observing their web browsing.
  • Greg Gianforte signed a measure that’s more sweeping than any other state’s attempts to curtail the social media app, which is owned by a Chinese tech company.
  • President Joe Biden’s administration initially shelved those plans, but more recently threatened to ban the app if the company’s Chinese owners don’t sell their stakes.TikTok doesn’t want either option and has been clamoring to prove it’s free of any Chinese government interference.
  • But others who haven’t been part of an official campaign coordinated by the company are also worried about what lawmakers are doing.Adam Botkin, a former football player and recent graduate at the University of Montana, said it was a scary time for him as a content creator in Montana.
By AMY BETH HANSON and HALELUYA HADERO Associated PressHELENA, Mont. (AP) Montana became the first state in the U.S. to enact a complete ban on TikTok on Wednesday when Republican Gov. Greg Gianf [+7043 chars]