Montana and 20 other states have filed a legal brief in support of the federal government’s efforts to ban the popular social media app TikTok. The states argue that TikTok poses a national security threat due to its ties to the Chinese government.
The brief was filed in response to a lawsuit brought by TikTok against the Trump administration over an executive order that sought to ban the app in the United States. The app has faced scrutiny from US officials over concerns that user data could be accessed by the Chinese government.
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen stated that TikTok has been found to collect vast amounts of sensitive data from its users, including their location, phone contacts, and search history. He emphasized the need for strong action to protect national security interests.
The brief argues that the federal government has the authority to regulate foreign-owned companies like TikTok in order to safeguard national security. The states supporting the ban believe that TikTok’s data collection practices pose risks to both individual privacy and the country as a whole.
The legal battle over TikTok’s presence in the US has been ongoing for several months, with the app’s parent company, ByteDance, seeking to fight back against attempts to ban it. The support from states like Montana adds weight to the federal government’s arguments for restricting TikTok’s operations in the country.
As the debate over TikTok continues to unfold, it remains to be seen how the legal challenges will play out and what the future holds for the app in the US market. The involvement of multiple states in supporting federal action against TikTok underscores the seriousness of the national security concerns surrounding the popular social media platform.
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