Amid criticism from US officials of the short video sharing app TikTok, one US state has voted to ban the Chinese-owned social media app, citing security risks.
According to JEE News, Montana on Friday became the first state to pass a bill banning TikTok in the state.
However, the report added that the move is bound to face legal challenges but will also serve as a testing ground for the TikTok-free America envisioned by many national lawmakers.
The Montana House voted 54-43 to send the bill to Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte for his signature.
“The Governor will carefully consider any bill the Legislature sends to his desk,” according to a statement from the governor’s office.
The governor has already banned the app on government devices in Montana.
Meanwhile, TikTok said in a statement: “We will continue to fight for TikTok users and creators in Montana whose livelihoods and First Amendment rights are threatened by this aggressive government overreach.”
TikTok, which is owned by Chinese tech company ByteDance, has faced growing calls from some U.S. lawmakers to ban the app nationwide amid concerns about the Chinese government’s potential influence over the platform. .
Last month, a congressional committee questioned TikTok chief executive Shu Zhiqiu about whether the Chinese government could access user data or influence what Americans see on the app. .
TikTok has repeatedly denied that it has ever shared data with the Chinese government and said it would not do so if the company asked.
The company is working on an initiative called Project Texas, which creates a standalone entity to store US user data in the US on servers run by US tech giant Oracle.
