Montana Free Press
The Montana Senate voted Thursday to advance a statewide ban on Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok, calling the service a threat to privacy, national security and public safety.
The text of Senate Bill 419, sponsored by Sen. Shelley Vance, R-Belgrade, says the platform’s data collection practices, combined with the potential for that data to be shared with the Chinese government, harm Montanans’ privacy. It also says public safety is jeopardized by how the platform spreads viral challenges such as “taking excessive amounts of medication,” “attempting to climb stacks of milkcrates,” and “cooking chicken in NyQuil.”
“TikTok endangers the safety of Montanans and Americans at large,” Vance said as the bill was debated, referencing investigative reporting on the company’s data management practices. “We know beyond doubt that TikTok’s parent company ByteDance is operating as a surveillance arm of the Chinese Communist Party and gathers information about Americans against their will.”
0 Comments