Montana Blocks TikTok in First Statewide Ban

The TikTok application for download in the Apple App store on a smartphone arranged in the Brooklyn borough of New York, US, on Thursday, March 9, 2023. The US is moving closer to restricting access to the popular video-sharing app TikTok, with Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner set to unveil a bill Tuesday that the Biden administration is poised to support, according to people familiar with the issue.Photographer: Gabby Jones/Bloomberg

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By Skye Witley

May 17, 2023 at 10:09 PM UTC

Updated on

May 18, 2023 at 12:56 AM UTC

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TikTok Inc.'s popular app is facing its first statewide ban in the US after Montana’s governor signed a measure Wednesday that will prohibit its download by the general public beginning next year.

The new law will impose the broadest and strictest limitations on use of the social media platform yet, spurred by widespread governmental concerns about the Chinese government’s access to American users’ personal data. However, it appears certain to draw legal challenges.