Montana's TikTok Ban Seen by Judge as Out of Step With Nation
- Attorney general says app poses a ‘unique threat’ to consumers
- Judge asks if absence of other state bans isn’t ‘strange’
A judge hearing the case said he’s concerned the state has offered no factual basis for the ban.
Photographer: Loic Venance/AFP/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Montana faced skepticism over its statewide ban of TikTok Inc. from a federal judge who said the state might have overreached in enacting a law that appears to be out of step with the rest of the US.
TikTok is challenging the ban, arguing it has trampled free-speech rights based on a misguided view that Chinese ownership of the platform poses a national security threat. A judge hearing the request Thursday said he’s concerned the state has offered no factual basis for the ban, and about its “paternalistic” approach to protecting consumer data.