Montana Judge Says TikTok Ban Likely Violates First Amendment
A federal judge has officially done it.
Freedom lovers in the state of Montana are sure to have mixed emotions about it.
Montana's first-in-the-nation law banning TikTok in the state has been officially blocked just one month before it was set to take effect.
A federal judge called the measure unconstitutional.
The ruling delivers what is at least a temporary win for the social media company that has argued that Montana's Republican-controlled legislature went "completely overboard" with its massive decision against the app.
U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy seemed to agree with TikTok, which is owned by ByteDance, a company in close friendship with the Chinese government.
The ban "oversteps state power and infringes on the Constitutional right of users and businesses," according to Molloy.
"Despite the state’s attempt to defend (the law) as a consumer protection bill, the current record leaves little doubt that Montana’s legislature and Attorney General were more interested in targeting China’s ostensible role in TikTok than with protecting Montana consumers," Judge Molloy said in granting the preliminary injunction. "This is especially apparent in that the same legislature enacted an entirely separate law that purports to broadly protect consumers’ digital data and privacy."
Despite TikTok admitting having illegally handled the private data of multiple Americans, and us knowing the terrible things that the CCP is capable of, Molloy must have a very good reason for deciding that the app can stay in Montana.
It should be noted that this ruling does not mean that TikTok will enjoy permanent status as a legal app in the state.
A final ruling will come at a later date as this legal challenge moves through the courts.
While this decision may only be temporary, it's a huge win for people who love scrolling videos on their phone all day.
It's a huge win for the Chinese government as well.
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