On Friday, April 14, Montana lawmakers announced that they had passed legislation to bank TikTok.Montana is the first state to vote to officially ban the Chinese app, deeming it a potential security threat.According to NPR, lawmakers are concerned that the Chinese Community Party may use TikTok to covertly steal data from American citizens, for the ultimate purpose of researching potential disinformation campaigns.KreekCraft@KreekCraft@RealOneGamerYT It will no longer be available in the app store.661@RealOneGamerYT It will no longer be available in the app store.According to the Associated Press, 33 American states have already banned downloading the app for use on any device owned by the Federal Government. The state of Montana, however, has taken the legislation a step further. If the legislation is signed into law, it will be deemed illegal for anyone to have the app within state lines.Responses to the ban on TikTokAs per BBC, if the law is approved by Governor Greg Gianforte, it will be implemented in January. Politicians noted that TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese internet technology company which is partially run by an internal Chinese Community Party committee.BOXINGEGO@BoxingegoMontana bans Tiktok but has top 10 gun related deaths out of all the states & loose gun laws ok lol #EGO51Montana bans Tiktok but has top 10 gun related deaths out of all the states & loose gun laws ok lol #EGO https://t.co/BIK8ONKUlFSupporters of the ban noted that a 2017 Chinese intelligence law states that private companies within China are obligated to hand over data to the nation's government. While TikTok has publicly claimed that they will never go through with this demand, American lawmakers remain uncertain about where their loyalties lie.Along with the potential threat supposedly posed by TikTok, lawmakers stated that the app also promotes dangerous and unlawful activities among young people. These include playing with fire, throwing objects out of moving vehicles, and even hijacking cars.A spokesperson from the Governor's office said:"The governor will carefully consider any bill the legislature sends to his desk."Andrew Lokenauth@FluentInFinanceMontana just passed the first TikTok ban of a US State. The bill (SB 419) blocks downloads of TikTok, and is expected to set a precedent for bans in other Republican-led states, encourage other states to pass similar legislation and possibly even a federal ban.If TikTok or… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…18526Montana just passed the first TikTok ban of a US State. The bill (SB 419) blocks downloads of TikTok, and is expected to set a precedent for bans in other Republican-led states, encourage other states to pass similar legislation and possibly even a federal ban.If TikTok or… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…In response to the decision by lawmakers, the company announced that they will attempt to stop the ban. In an official statement, spokesperson Brooke Oberwetter spoke out against the decision of Montana lawmakers, citing freedom of speech as a primary reason.Oberwetter said:"We will continue to fight for TikTok users and creators in Montana whose livelihoods and First Amendment rights are threatened by this egregious government overreach."Obewetter also noted that several American citizens are employed at the company, and that banning the app over unfounded suspicions could potentially ruin American lives.He said:"Also not mentioned today by members of the committee: the livelihoods of the 5 million businesses (associated with the company) or the First Amendment implications of banning a platform loved by 150 million Americans."LAK131 ♠️ 💽@laf131 MONTANA BANS TIKTOK 1🚨🚨 MONTANA BANS TIKTOK 🚨🚨Shou Zi Chew, the Chief Executive of the company, claimed that Chinese Government officials have never received access to their data. Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers asked the Chief Executive if he could answer with '100% certainty' that the company would not pass on data to the Chinese Government. In response, Chew said that the company was free from government manipulation, an answer that Rodgers deemed evasive.