Illustration: Natalie Peeples/Axios
Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte (R) signed into law Wednesday a bill banning TikTok statewide, effective Jan. 1, 2024.
Why it matters: A growing number of Republican-led states have issued TikTok bans on government-issued devices after the FBI warned of possible threats to national security posed by the Chinese-owned social media platform, but Montana is the first state to impose a total ban on the app.
Thought bubble, via Axios' Dan Primack: This is a major escalation. It's one thing to ban a popular social media app on government devices. Quite another to ban for all residents.
Zoom out: Beijing has said there's no evidence that TikTok threatens any country's national security. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testified before Congress in March that the app's parent company ByteDance is not an agent of China's ruling Communist Party.
What we're watching: The Montana Department of Justice will be responsible for investigating any potential violations of the ban, according to the bill, which was passed by the state's legislature last month.
Zoom in: Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen's press secretary Emily Flower said in an emailed statement Thursday that state officials expect impacted entities to comply with the law.
What they're saying: "Governor Gianforte has signed a bill that infringes on the First Amendment rights of the people of Montana by unlawfully banning TikTok," the TikTok spokesperson said.
Gianforte's press secretary, Kaitlin Price, said in an emailed statement: "While the Chinese Communist Party may try to hide their nefarious spying and collection of individuals' personal, private, sensitive information under the banner of our First Amendment, the governor has an obligation to protect Montanans and their individual privacy right, as guaranteed by the Montana Constitution, from the Chinese Communist Party's serious, grave threats."
Go deeper: The political realities that make a national TikTok ban tricky
Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.
Go deeper: Listen to the Axios Today podcast, where host Niala Boodhoo talks about why Montana has become the first state to completely ban TikTok.