Montana Governor Greg Gianforte just signed the nation’s strongest restrictions on Chinese-owned social media app TikTok into law.
TikTok has faced mounting pressure in the U.S. from Congress and state legislatures alike in recent months, but Montana’s actions escalate those threats considerably, even if the issue of enforcement remains an open question.
To protect Montanans’ personal and private data from the Chinese Communist Party, I have banned TikTok in Montana.
— Governor Greg Gianforte (@GovGianforte) May 17, 2023
“Today, Montana takes the most decisive action of any state to protect Montanans’ private data and sensitive personal information from being harvested by the Chinese Communist Party,” Gianforte said.
In a statement, Gianforte claimed that it is “well documented” that TikTok shares its data with the Chinese government — a claim that is not substantiated by public information about the app and how it operates.
TikTok is just one app tied to foreign adversaries. Today I directed the sta …