US Judge Halts Montana's TikTok Ban

The Montana state ban on TikTok's usage set for January 1 has been temporarily halted by a US judge, citing concerns over its infringement on users' free speech rights.

The US District Judge Donald Molloy issued a preliminary injunction, stating that the law is beyond state authority and encroaches upon the constitutional rights of the users.

The ruling represents a significant win for the app, which has faced criticism and regulatory challenges amid its rapid ascent. Earlier threats of a federal ban had surfaced this year, contributing to increased scrutiny.

 TikTok, owned by ByteDance, has yet to respond to the decisionIn May, Montana became the first state to enact laws outlawing TikTok, making history. 

Earlier in May 2023, Governor Greg Gianforte signed the first of a kind law, forbidding people from using TikTok. Five TikTok users filed a complaint against the state saying it was unconstitutional. 

Targeting popular app stores like the Google Play Store and the App Store, the law forbade them from granting consumers access to the app and levied fines of up to $10,000 for each violation. Notably, this regulation would not impose sanctions on individual users.

TikTok filed a lawsuit against Montana after Governor who signed the measure, claiming that the legislation infringed upon the First Amendment rights to free speech of  the corporation and its users. Meanwhile, users of TikTok from Montana filed a lawsuit to stop the restriction from going into force.

The legislature supported the prohibition, but the state attorney general's office defended it, raising worries about possible espionage and the protection of Montana customers' personal data.

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