Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte (R) signed into law Wednesday a bill banning TikTokstatewide, 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.
- A TikTok spokesperson said in an emailed statement Wednesday evening that the ban is an infringement of First Amendment rights.
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.
