TikTok Creators File Lawsuit Against Montana Over Law Banning App
Huff PostLOADING ERROR LOADING HELENA, Mont. — Five TikTok content creators have filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn a planned ban on the video sharing app in Montana, arguing the law is an unconstitutional violation of free speech rights. Greg Gianforte signed the bill into law Wednesday and said it would protect Montana residents’ private data and personal information from being harvested by the Chinese government. The lawsuit — filed without public notice just hours after Gianforte signed the measure into law — states the ban would “immediately and permanently deprive Plaintiffs of their ability to express themselves and communicate with others.” “Montana can no more ban its residents from viewing or posting to TikTok than it could ban the Wall Street Journal because of who owns it or the ideas it publishes,” the plaintiffs’ attorneys wrote. Montana’s law would prohibit downloads of TikTok in the state and would fine any “entity” — an app store or TikTok — $10,000 per day for each time someone “is offered the ability” to access the social media platform or download the app.