Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Sep 01, 2025

This US State Votes To Ban TikTok, $10,000 Fine Per Violation

This US State Votes To Ban TikTok, $10,000 Fine Per Violation

If signed into law by Montana's governor, the bill will be unprecedented and furiously fought by TikTok in state and US courts.
Montana has become the first US State to impose a total ban on TikTok. Short-form video sharing app has been accused of posing a national security risk through data gathered from users, reported BBC.

If signed into law by Montana's governor Greg Gianforte, the ban could come into effect in January 2024.

The proposed law, the first by a US state, was passed by 54 votes for and 43 against and will serve as a legal test for a national ban of the Chinese-owned platform, something that lawmakers in Washington are increasingly calling for, reported AFP.

Ahead of the vote, a TikTok spokeswoman said the bill's constitutionality will ultimately "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," the spokeswoman added.

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

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

And despite its immense popularity, TikTok also faces an ultimatum by the White House that it split from its Chinese owners or stop operating in America.

When introducing the bill on Thursday, Montana state representative Brandon Ler said the Chinese Communist Party is "hiding behind TikTok where they can spy on Americans."

Legal analysts and critics insist that the bill overreaches, leaving it largely symbolic and that pushing through such a drastic measure is all but impossible at the local level.

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

The bill "appears to be more of a kind of statement bill than something that would be practical," he added.

"Passing this legislation would flout the First Amendment and would trample on Montanans' constitutional right to freedom of speech," said a letter to Montana lawmakers from the ACLU and other associations.

Montana's clampdown on TikTok comes as the app faces other proposals of national legislation -- including one bill that could give the White House massive new powers to oversee Chinese tech companies.

Last month TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew faced a gruelling five-hour questioning from combative US lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle over the app's ties to China and its danger to teens.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
Federal Reserve Independence Questioned Amid Trump’s Push to Reshape Central Bank
British Politics Faces Tumultuous Autumn After Summer of Rebellions and Rising Farage Momentum
US Appeals Court Rules Against Most Trump-Era Tariffs
UK Sought Broad Access to Apple Users’ Data, Court Filing Reveals
UK Bank Shares Dive Over Potential Tax on Sector
Germany’s Auto Industry Sheds 51,500 Jobs in First Half of 2025 Amid Deepening Crisis
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
French and Korean Nuclear Majors Clash As EU Launches Foreign Subsidy Probe
EU Stands Firm on Digital Rules as Trump Warns of Retaliation
Getting Ready for the 3rd Time in Its History, Germany Approves Voluntary Military Service for Teenagers
Argentine President Javier Milei Evacuated After Stones Thrown During Campaign Event
Denmark Confronts U.S. Diplomat Over Covert Trump-Linked Influence in Greenland
Starmer Should Back Away from ECHR, Says Jack Straw
Trump Demands RICO Charges Against George Soros and Son for Funding Violent Protests
Taylor Swift Announces Engagement to NFL Star Travis Kelce
France May Need IMF Bailout, Warns Finance Minister
Chinese AI Chipmaker Cambricon Posts Record Profit as Beijing Pushes Pivot from Nvidia
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
Ukraine Finally Allows Young Men Aged Eighteen to Twenty-Two to Leave the Country
The Porn Remains, Privacy Disappears: How Britain Broke the Internet in Ten Days
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Welcome to The Definition of Insanity: Germany Edition
Just a reminder, this is Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris.
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
×