TikTok users file lawsuit against Montana over first-in-nation law banning app

Five TikTok content creators have filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn Montana’s first-in-the-nation ban on the video sharing app, arguing the law is an unconstitutional violation of free speech rights.

The Montana residents also argued in a legal complaint, filed in federal court late Wednesday without public notice, that the state doesn’t have any authority over matters of national security.

Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte signed the bill into law Wednesday and said it would protect Montana residents’ private data and personal information from being harvested by the Chinese government. The ban is scheduled to take effect on Jan. 1, 2024.

“We expected a legal challenge and are fully prepared to defend the law,” said Emily Flower, spokeswoman for the Montana Department of Justice.

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TikTok has argued the law infringes on people’s First Amendment rights.

However, spokesperson Brooke Oberwetter declined to comment on the lawsuit Thursday. She also declined to say whether the company helped coordinate the complaint.

The creators are five Montana residents who use the video-sharing app for things like to promoting a business, connecting with military veterans, introducing others to ranch life, sharing outdoor adventures or expressing their sense of

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