Topline
Tik Tok filed a widely expected federal lawsuit against Montana alleging that the state’s new ban on the app—which was signed into law last week and would take effect January 1, 2024— “unlawfully abridges one of the core freedoms” allowed under the First Amendment by suppressing free speech.
A man opens social media app ‘Tik Tok’ on his cell phone, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Tuesday, July 21, … [+]
Key Facts
The suit, filed in Montana District Court, seeks to have the Montana law overturned, permanently prevented from implementation and declared unconstitutional.
Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte signed the first-of-its-kind bill banning the app from being downloaded in the state last week, saying he did so “to protect Montanans’ personal and private data from the Chinese Communist Party.”
In the suit, Tik Tok alleges the ban uses “extraordinary and unprecedented measures based on nothing more than unfounded speculation” and provides no support to its allegations that the app could provide information to the Chinese government.
The lawsuit was widely expected after the law was signed as critics, including the American Civil Liberties Union, expressed support for Tik Tok and concerns that the ban would allow for elected officials “to selectively censor entire social media apps based on their country of origin.”
Further Reading
TikTok sues Montana over its new law banning the app (NPR)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2023/05/22/tik-tok-sues-montana-after-state-passes-law-banning-app/