TikTok is fighting back after the state of Montana announced a full ban of the app’s use on all residents. Being the first state to ban this app, Montana’s Governor Greg Gianforte explained that this ban is “to protect Montanans’ personal and private data from the Chinese Communist Party.” How are TikTok and state users responding? EPGR Lawyers’ Partner Daniel Gutenplan joins the conversion and told ExtraTV that, “The TikTok restriction almost certainly restricts free speech by preventing TikTok users based in Montana — more than 200,000 individuals and thousands of small businesses — to use the app and post content without facing substantial fines and penalties,” Gutenplan said. “Opponents of the law — including TikTok users, the ACLU, and other civil liberties organizations, and perhaps TikTok itself — will certainly challenge the law in court, likely on multiple fronts.”
But Gianforte and the Montana government contend the restriction on speech serves a national security interest, by preventing the Chinese government from accessing Montanans’ user data. “For the Montana government to successfully defeat those challenges and keep the law on the books, the government will have to show that the threats to privacy and security and real and significant, and that the government could not address those threats by less intrusive means,” Gutenplan said. Those challenging the laws are likely to seek immediate injunctive relief, asking the courts to temporarily block the ban pending the outcome of the lawsuits.
To read more, check out the full article here : https://extratv.com/2023/05/23/lawsuits-against-montana-tiktok-ban-could-go-all-the-way-to-the-supreme-court/.
