What State Banned TikTok?

Montana was the first US state to ban TikTok. A complete ban on the use of the social media platform was approved in 2023; app stores were prohibited from offering the TikTok app for download to anyone in the state, with each violation making providers liable for a $10,000 fine.

The Montana ban was supposed to go into effect on January 1, 2024. However, a federal court judge blocked its enforcement and it remains in limbo, pending resolution of a pending national ban of the social media platform.

The American law requires a full ban on TikTok in the United States unless the company sells its US operations. But even though the law was passed by Congress, signed by former President Biden, and found to be constitutional by the Supreme Court, it’s temporarily not being enforced while President Trump tries to work out a deal to keep TikTok available in America.

Why Ban TikTok?

Seven countries, including India, Somalia, and Afghanistan, have instituted full bans on the use of the app. More than a dozen others, most of them Western and Pacific nations like the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, prohibit the installation or use of TikTok on government-issued devices.

Jurisdictions that have banned the social app cite various reasons for their action, but the most common objection involves TikTok’s ownership.

The platform was developed and is still owned by the Chinese company ByteDance — and China’s laws require all businesses to fully cooperate with the nation’s government. More specifically, it’s widely feared that TikTok might have to turn over sensitive data about the nearly 200 million app users in America (and nearly two billion other users worldwide).

The American government argues that the possibility of China obtaining that treasure trove of data poses a serious national security threat, and that Chinese officials might even order the manipulation of TikTok’s algorithms to mine even more sensitive information.

The same argument was used by Montana lawmakers and is endorsed by most of the nations that have banned either the app’s operations or its installation on government phones and devices.

Some countries have placed temporary or permanent bans on TikTok for other reasons. They include:

• The encouragement of increasing levels of violence and bullying among young people (Albania)
• Immoral content (Pakistan)
• Misleading youth and inconsistency with Islamic law (Afghanistan)
• Propaganda and misinformation from terrorist groups (Somalia)
• Spread of Western influence (Iran)
• Impact on social harmony (Nepal)

However, the majority of full and partial bans are due to the national security concerns we’ve discussed — and the eventual resolution of the pending US ban may change the legal status of TikTok in many other nations.