Montana becomes 1st US state to ban TikTok

By Betul Yuruk

NEW YORK (AA) - Montana Governor Greg Gianforte signed a bill into law Wednesday banning TikTok, making the state the first in the US to bar use of the popular Chinese-owned app.

''To protect Montanans’ personal and private data from the Chinese Communist Party, I have banned TikTok in Montana,'' Gianforte said on Twitter.

The ban will take effect in January 2024. The bill bans app stores from offering users the ability to download the app.

App stores will pay $10,000 for each violation and $10,000 for each day that a violation continues.

Lawmakers in Montana voted in April to ban TikTok.

The US and other countries have already restricted TikTok from government devices due to fears that China could gain access to user data.