Montana lawmakers have passed a bill banning the social media app TikTok from operating in the state. The measure now goes to Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte for his consideration. The bill would prohibit downloads of TikTok in Montana and would fine
any entity - an app store or TikTok itself $10,000 per day for each time someone is offered the ability to access the social media platform or download the app. The state House voted 54-43 to pass the bill, which goes further than prohibitions in
place in nearly half the states and the US federal government that prohibit TikTok on government devices. Montana already bans the app on state-owned devices. The bill's supporters have admitted that they have no feasible plan for implementing the
bill and that the bill's constitutionality will be decided by the courts. TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese tech company ByteDance, has been under intense scrutiny over user data being sent to the Chinese government and its use to distribute
pro-Beijing propaganda and misinformation. The US Congress is considering legislation that gives the Commerce Department the ability to restrict foreign threats on tech platforms. | 
