Before now, Tiktok has been facing ban on government-owned devices but it seems as predicted by thought leaders that more drastic actions are going to be rolled out from various institutions.
To that effect, Montana is set to become the first US state to ban Chinese-owned media giant TikTok from personal devices.
As per BBC reports, Governor Greg Gianforte signed the ban into law on Wednesday. It is due to take effect on 1 January.
The video-sharing platform says the ban “infringes on the First Amendment rights of the people of Montana”.
TikTok has come under scrutiny from authorities around the world over concerns that data could be passed to the Chinese government.
Mr Gianforte, a Republican, told lawmakers that a wider ban would further “our shared priority to protect Montanans from Chinese Communist Party surveillance.”
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TikTok said in a statement that it was used by “hundreds of thousands of people” in Montana.
“We want to reassure Montanans that they can continue using TikTok to express themselves, earn a living, and find community as we continue working to defend the rights of our users inside and outside of Montana,” it added.
TikTok is expected to challenge the legislation in the courts.
Lawmakers, last month in Montana passed a bill banning TikTok on personal devices by a vote of 54 to 43.
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The law will make it illegal for app stores to offer TikTok, but does not ban people who already have TikTok from using it.
Montana, which has a population of just over 1m, banned the app on government devices last December.
