TikTok has filed a lawsuit against the first state-wide ban of the video-sharing app in the US, which was announced by Montana last week.
Ahead of the ban, which will make it illegal for stores to offer the app from January 1, 2024, TikTok confirmed a lawsuit had been filed on Monday in a Montana District Court against the “unlawful” ruling.
"We are challenging Montana's unconstitutional TikTok ban to protect our business and the hundreds of thousands of TikTok users in Montana," a spokesperson said.
Some 200,000 people and 6,000 companies from the state use the app, according to TikTok, though they will still be allowed to access the site if it is already downloaded once the ban is implemented.
“We believe our legal challenge will prevail based on an exceedingly strong set of precedents and facts,” the company added, having accused lawmakers of “unconstitutionally shutting down the forum for speech”.
Concerns have increasingly been made by US officials over TikTok parent ByteDance’s alleged involvement with China’s government, though app makers have repeatedly denied sharing data from the site.
Several content creators who use the app have already filed lawsuits against the ban, arguing Montana state does not have the power to make such orders over national security.
TikTok echoed the allegation, claiming foreign affairs should be carried out by the federal government rather than state lawmakers themselves.