The first US state to limit TikTok usage is Montana

The law stops app retailers from selling TikTok, but it does not stop anyone who already own the application from using it. The renowned Chinese-owned video-sharing website TikTok has been blocked from being used on personal devices for the very first time in a US state, Montana.

Greg Gianforte, the current Republican governor of the state, passed ordinances making it illegal for app stores to sell the product. The law restricts app retailers from selling TikTok, but it does not stop users from using the software if they already have it.

The new rule limits TikTok downloads within the state and fines any "entity" — that includes an app store or TikTok — $10,000 (£8,000) per day for each instance when a user "is offered the ability" to peruse the social media site or download the app. Customers would not be subject to the fines.

The policy, which is set to go into force on January 1, 2024, is anticipated to face judicial challenges.

The Chinese internet startup ByteDance's TikTok has come under close examination because to worries that it may provide user data to the Chinese government or promote propaganda and false information in favour of Beijing on the site.

TikTok argues that none of this has ever occurred.

Mr. Gianforte responded, "Today, Montana takes the most meaningful step of any state to protect Montanans' secure personal information along with private details from being stolen by the Chinese Communist Party," after signing the ordinance on Wednesday.

A spokesman for TikTok claimed the law violates people's fundamental freedoms and is unconstitutional, Brooke Oberwetter.

As we keep battling for the rights of our users both inside and outside of Montana, we seek to assure Montanans that they can still use TikTok as a means of self-expression, a source of financial resources, and a place to interact with others.

The chief executive of TikTok tried to convince the US Congress in March that the company that is the parent of the app is not "an agent" of Beijing and never poses a threat to national security.

The most recent action follows Montana's December ban on the app on smartphones used by the government. Similar obligations are put in place by the federal government and more than half of the US states.