Montanans don't have to worry about a TikTok ban, at least for the time being.
US District Judge Donald Molloy issued a preliminary injunction to block a ban that was set to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2024, stating that the law "oversteps state power" and violates the Constitution in several ways, Reuters reports.
The ban was originally signed by Montana Governor Greg Gianforte in May after the legislature approved it with a 54-43 vote, citing intelligence gathering by "foreign adversaries" and protection of personal data.
"The Chinese Community Party using TikTok to spy on Americans, violate their privacy, and collect their personal, private, and sensitive information is well-documented," Gianforte said at the time. With the ban "Montana takes the most decisive action of any state to protect Montanans' private data and sensitive personal information from being harvested by the Chinese Community Party."
TikTok immediately sued the state to block the ban, which it called unconstitutional, as did many Montana-based TikTok users.
The court case is not over, however. A spokesperson for Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen tells Reuters that the injunction is preliminary and says the state looks "forward to presenting the complete legal argument to defend the law."
While several states and US government agencies have banned the social media app from government-issued devices, Montana is the only state to pass a ban that affects private citizens.
