Social media company TikTok Inc filed a lawsuit on May 22 seeking to overturn Montana’s first in the country ban on the video-sharing app, arguing that the law is an unconstitutional violation of free speech rights and is based on “unfounded speculation”. . So that the Chinese government can access the users’ data. , Photo Credit: AP
Social media company TikTok Inc filed a lawsuit on May 22 seeking to overturn Montana’s first in the country ban on the video-sharing app, arguing that the law is an unconstitutional violation of free speech rights and is based on “unfounded speculation”. . So that the Chinese government can access the users’ data.
The lawsuit by TikTok follows a lawsuit filed last week by five content creators who made similar arguments, including that the state of Montana has no jurisdiction to act on matters of national security. Both lawsuits were filed in federal court in Missoula.
Greg Gianforte signed the bill on May 17, and the content creators’ lawsuit was filed hours later. The law is set to take effect on January 1.
The company said in its complaint that TikTok has not and will not share US user data with the Chinese government and has taken measures to protect the privacy and security of its users, including all US user data in the United States. storage is included.
Some lawmakers, officials from the FBI and other agencies worry that the video-sharing app, owned by Chinese tech company ByteDance, could be used to allow the Chinese government to access information on US citizens or influence pro-Beijing misinformation. Could Public.
Chinese law obliges Chinese companies to share data with the government for purposes that are deemed to involve national security. Tiktok says this never happened.
Tiktok is spying on Americans. period,” Montana Attorney General Austin Knudson, whose office drafted the bill, told a legislative committee in March. Knudson’s office has said he expected lawsuits and stood ready to defend the new law.
The federal government and nearly half of US states, including Montana, have banned TikTok from government-owned devices.
Montana’s new law bans the download of TikTok in the state. It would also fine any “entity” — an app store or TikTok — $10,000 a day for every time it “offers the ability” for someone to access the social media platform or download the app. The penalty will not apply to users.