TikTok sued the state of Montana on Monday over the state’s not too long ago enacted ban, which prohibits TikTok from working inside Montana.
The lawsuit alleges Montana’s ban violates the US Structure’s First Amendment, which protects Individuals’ proper to free speech. TikTok claims Montana enacted the ban in response to “unfounded hypothesis” a couple of attainable connection concerning the Chinese language authorities’s entry of personal consumer knowledge of these with accounts on TikTok. TikTok explains within the lawsuit that it holds all US consumer knowledge within the US to forestall different nations from accessing it. This entry to knowledge was the subject of a hearing in March, the place TikTok CEO Shou Chew testified in entrance of Congress concerning the app’s privateness and knowledge safety measures.
One other level of rivalry for TikTok is that it says it’s the solely social media firm focused by the ban. TikTok argues its app has the identical challenges as different social media firms like Fb and Instagram, and that Montana is unfairly focusing on it based mostly on mere hypothesis.
TikTok asks the federal courtroom to to subject a declaratory judgment holding the TikTok ban unconstitutional and to enjoin the state from implementing the ban.
Final week, Montana grew to become the first state to ban TikTok, with the ban set to take impact on January 1, 2024. Shortly after the ban, Montanans who use TikTok additionally sued to stop the ban, claiming the regulation exceeds state energy concerning nationwide safety and restricts speech.
Source / Picture: jurist.org
