Overcast. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 51F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph..
Overcast. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 51F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph.
Updated: May 23, 2023 @ 5:37 pm
A bill to ban the TikTok app in Montana passed the House on a 54-43 vote Friday, sending it on its way to Gov. Greg Gianforte for consideration.
Gianforte has not said if he’ll sign Senate Bill 419 from Sen. Shelly Vance, R-Belgrade.
In support of the bill Thursday, House sponsor Rep. Brandon Ler, R-Savage, said Thursday the bill is necessary to protect U.S. security from China.
“We are facing a threat unlike any other from the Chinese Communist Party hiding behind TikTok,” Ler said. “We know the Peoples’ Republic of China is one of our top adversaries, yet we allow them to freely gather information about Montanans, Montana’s companies and the intellectual property of its users.”
TikTok criticized the vote Friday.
“The bill’s champions have admitted that they have no feasible plan for operationalizing this attempt to censor American voices and that the bill’s constitutionality will be decided by the courts,” said spokesperson Brooke Oberwetter. “We will continue to fight for TikTok users and creators in Montana whose livelihoods and First Amendment rights are threatened by this egregious government overreach.”
Gianforte has already banned the use of TikTok on state-owned devices and networks.
SB 419 would ban application stores from Apple and Google from offering TikTok within the state and envisions tens of thousands of dollars in fines for companies found violating its terms.
Other states are considering bans, and the app is also banned on U.S. federal government devices.
Holly Michels and Seaborn Larson contributed to this report.
Originally published on helenair.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.
Currently in Missoula
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Tap into Non-Stop News from Montana Right Now! From the Big Story to the 3 Things to Know – we have the moment’s essential headlines.
Local news headlines from NonStop Local in Great Falls and Helena – delivered to your email inbox every weekday.
Local news headlines from NonStop Local Bozeman and Butte – delivered to your email inbox every weekday.
Local news headlines from NonStop Local in Missoula and Kalispell – delivered to your email inbox every weekday.
Get the latest headlines on local sports! News from UM, MSU, High School sports and more.
Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles.
Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.