2023-05-22 15:18:42
The social media app TikTok has been under increasing political pressure for some time. The platform belongs to the Bytedance group from China. The service has more than 150 million users in the USA and is also widespread in Germany. There is concern that Chinese authorities and secret services could collect information from users or influence the user. Now the first state in the US to ban the service entirely. The ban is expected to come into force in 2024.
Protection from the Communist Party
Republican governor G. Gianforte signed a corresponding law last week, which had previously passed Congress.
„To protect Montanas` personal and private data from the Chinese Communist Party, I have banned TikTok in Montana“
he tweeted after signing. The new regulation prohibits the application from being offered in app stores from 2024. A penalty is paid for each day that the app is still available. Users who already have the app on their devices may continue to use it. However, new content should then no longer be displayed.
A complete ban on the social media app developed in China does not apply anywhere else in the USA. However, President Joe Biden’s administration had already banned the app on government employees’ phones. The same applies in many other states. The concern that Chinese authorities and secret services could collect information and possibly lead to political interference is too great. Experts warn that the app could be used for espionage or propaganda purposes. At the end of March, the TikTok boss had to answer questions in the US Congress.
Other countries outside the USA and EU institutions have also banned the use of TikTok on employees’ work cell phones. The ban was justified with concerns about cyber security.
criticism of the decision
A spokeswoman for TikTok criticized the decision. She sees the law as a violation of the constitution and considers it unlawful. TikTok itself also rejects any allegations and emphasizes that it does not see itself as a subsidiary of a Chinese company. Bytedance is 60 percent owned by Western investors and, contrary to the view of the service’s critics, the company’s headquarters are not in Beijing, but on the Cayman Islands in the Caribbean.
They also believe that the ban violates the right to free speech. We are always working to protect and defend the rights of users. The company has repeatedly denied ever sharing data with the Chinese government. Furthermore, no requests for user data have been made by the Chinese government so far.
First lawsuit filed
The first lawsuit against the decision has been filed. The plaintiffs see their right to freedom of expression at risk.
“Montana can no more ban its residents from using and posting on TikTok than the Wall Street Journal can ban because of its owner or the ideas it publishes,”
according to a lawsuit filed in federal court in Missoula on Wednesday evening.
“The state is exceeding its authority to enact such a ban on grounds of national security or foreign policy reasons. Montana also shouldn’t ban an entire platform just because the state deems some of the statements made there, which are protected by free speech, to be dangerous.”
Plaintiffs allege that the state exceeds its authority to issue such a ban on grounds of national security or foreign policy. The plaintiffs earn at least part of their income through the platform. With the ban, this would disappear. The lawsuit could now delay the entry into force of the law.
Test balloon Montana
The actions of the authorities in Montana are considered a test for a possible ban throughout the USA. TikTok is expected to take legal action against the decision. Corresponding legal disputes are then used as a test balloon for a possible nationwide ban. Many MPs are striving for one at the federal level.
No ban in Germany
TikTok and a possible ban on the app is a hotly debated topic. This is not only true in the USA. In some countries, such as India, the social network is already banned.
Interior Minister Faeser sees no legal basis for a ban in Germany. In view of the discussion about blocking the social media app in the USA, which has been going on for some time, she has stated that she considers a ban to be impossible. However, Faeser is also of the opinion that more information needs to be provided about the fact that Tik Tok is a company from which “the data can of course leak”. The data must be adequately protected. It remains to be seen how the topic of TikTok will develop further.
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