TikTok has filed a federal lawsuit against the state of Montana, Monday after a bill was passed that plans to ban the app from being downloaded in the state starting early next year.
TikTok filed a widely expected federal lawsuit against Montana alleging that the state’s new ban on the app—which was signed into law last week and would take effect January 1, 2024— “unlawfully abridges one of the core freedoms” allowed under the First Amendment by suppressing free speech.
The lawsuit was widely expected after the law was signed as critics, including the American Civil Liberties Union, expressed support for TikTok and concerns that the ban would allow for elected officials “to selectively censor entire social media apps based on their country of origin.”