It’s gonna be harder for kids in Big Sky Country to stay up on all the Tide Pod-eating trends . . .
Montana just became the first state to BAN TIKTOK. (!!!) The law’s set to take effect on January 1st of next year.
Lawmakers passed the bill last month, and it was signed into law yesterday by Republican Governor Greg Gianforte. (Jee-un-FOR-tay)
He tweeted that he did it to, quote, “protect Montanans’ personal and private data from the Chinese Communist Party.”
TikTok is a Chinese app, and he’s not the only one worried about it. The U.S. and Canada both banned TikTok on government devices earlier this year.
Most states now have their own bans like that in place too. But Montana is the first to FULLY ban it, so it won’t even be allowed on personal devices.
TikTok users won’t face penalties. It just bans distribution, so companies like Apple and Google can’t offer it on their app stores.
If they do, the law says Montana can fine them $10,000 per violation EVERY DAY until they stop. Some people think that could be hard to enforce though.
There’s also still a chance the bill won’t go into effect at all. Back when it first passed last month, TikTok called it “an attempt to censor American voices” and said they planned to fight it.
Quote, “The bill’s constitutionality will be decided by the courts.”
