TikTok Files Lawsuit Against Montana's Ban, Citing First Amendment Violation

TikTok has taken legal action by filing a lawsuit on Monday in the U.S. District Court of Montana to challenge the state's ban on the popular social media platform, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. The case was specifically brought against Montana's Attorney General, Austin Knudsen.

Last week, Montana's governor signed a bill into law that imposed a ban on TikTok, merely a month after it had passed through the state legislature. The swift enactment of the law faced immediate opposition, with a group of creators promptly suing the state, asserting that the law violated the Constitution.

Now, TikTok has joined the fray, directly suing the state with similar claims. The lawsuit argues that Montana's law infringes upon the First Amendment, stating, "Montana's ban abridges freedom of speech in violation of the First Amendment, violates the U.S. Constitution in multiple other respects, and is preempted by federal law."

The law itself prohibits the ByteDance-owned platform from operating within the state, as well as prohibiting the listing of the TikTok app for download on Apple's and Google's app stores. While the enforcement strategy of the ban remains unclear, the law stipulates that violations will incur fines of $10,000 per day. It is important to note, however, that individual TikTok users will not face charges.