The Montana House of Representatives has passed a bill to ban the use of TikTok within the state. If the ban is enacted, this would make Montana the first US state to fully ban the app. This comes as nearly half of states have prohibited the use of the app on government devices. Following ongoing discussions at the federal level, Montana could become a testing ground for this legislation. However, what does this step actually mean, and is TikTok being banned in Montana? Here is what this bill means now, and what it could mean for the future.
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When Will The Montana TikTok Ban Go Into Effect?
If you’re unfamiliar with this bill, it can be difficult to parse out exactly what it means that it has passed. Is the app banned, or isn’t it? When will the ban be instated?
Currently in Montana, TikTok is not allowed on government devices, like in many states.
There are a number of steps a bill has to go through before it becomes a law. After it has been introduced, it must pass both the House of Representatives and the Senate. If this happens, it will be submitted to the Governor, who can either sign the bill into law or veto it. So, residents of Montana can still use TikTok for the time being. However, by being passed by the House, the bill has taken one step closer to being instated. This means that while the TikTok ban has not happened yet, it has a possibility of happening should the Senate and the Governor approve the bill.
It is worth noting that even if the bill made it this far, it would still likely face legal challenges and be brought to court, since it represents a radical departure from how online and social media has been regulated in the past.
What Does The TikTok Ban Mean
The proposed legislation would impact the distribution of the app. App stores, TikTok itself, and any other distributor of the software would receive a $10,000 fine for each day they continued to make the app available. In other words, while users would not be penalized directly, use of the app would still be prevented.
This ban would be unprecedented, since no state has ever taken steps to regulate a social media app in this way.
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