Well folks, it looks like TikTok’s clock is ticking faster than ever, as Montana becomes the first state to outright ban the popular social media app. Can you believe it? Governor Greg Gianforte signed the new law, calling it the “most decisive action” taken by any state to protect residents’ data from the clutches of the Chinese Communist Party. Talk about taking a stand!
Of course, TikTok isn’t taking this lying down. They quickly fired back saying the law infringes on users’ First Amendment rights and promised Montanans can keep using TikTok while they work to “defend the rights of our users.” Uh huh, we’ll see about that!
Under the new law, it will be illegal for TikTok to operate at all in Big Sky Country. And not just TikTok itself – even the app stores aren’t allowed to make it available for download! Crazy right? Any violators could face fines up to $10,000 per day. As the sponsor of the bill said:
“It doesn’t criminalize actual users’ conduct, it criminalizes the sale. So it targets the app sellers. That might be the app store or that might be TikTok itself.”
For those living under a rock, TikTok now has over 150 million American users. But the whole operation is owned by Chinese company ByteDance, and that’s what has lawmakers so concerned. Can you really blame them? Critics fear the Chinese government could access user data through ByteDance or manipulate the content people see. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want Xi Jinping all up in my For You Page!
Of course ByteDance’s CEO recently told Congress they’re just a private company not owned by China. Yeah, if you believe that I’ve got a bridge to sell you! Still, TikTok is already banned on government devices in 46 states and federally. Now there’s bipartisan support for a total nationwide ban as well.
One TikTok creator in Montana said she’ll keep posting no matter what. You go girl! Fight the power! But with the new law slated to take effect early next year if it survives legal challenges, her days could be numbered. Attorneys will be watching closely to see if this spurs other states to take similar action.
So what’s next in this TikTok saga? Your guess is as good as mine folks! But it seems our leaders are more serious than ever about giving ByteDance the boot. While I can’t get enough of those viral dance trends, I suppose national security is important too. Lame, I know I know! Hopefully us TikTok addicts can get our fix somehow if the app goes kaput. Maybe I’ll just learn those dances on my own – wait, who am I kidding! Can you imagine this guy attempting the Renegade?
We’ll have to stay tuned to see how this plays out. But in the meantime, go watch those TikToks while you still can Montana! And please, do record it if anyone tries dancing in front of the state capitol building in protest. That kind of civil disobedience I can get behind!
