Montana governor signs TikTok ban into law

Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte (R) on Wednesday signed a new law outlawing the Chinese-owned short-video sharing app TikTok statewide starting in 2024, making Montana the first state to impose a total TikTok ban. The federal government has warned that the Chinese government could access TikTok data, posing a potential national security risk. A growing number of Republican-dominated state governments have banned TikTok on government-issued devices. A TikTok spokesperson told Axios in an emailed statement that Montana's law violated First Amendment rights to free speech. "We want to reassure Montanans that they can continue using TikTok to express themselves, earn a living, and find community as we continue working to defend the rights of our users inside and outside of Montana," the TikTok spokesperson said