Montana lawmakers passed a bill on Friday that would prohibit the popular short-form video app TikTok from operating in the state, the latest threat to the Chinese-owned app’s existence in the United States.
The bill, known as SB 419, would prohibit mobile app stores in Montana from offering TikTok for download. The Montana House approved the ban by a vote of 54-43.
If the bill becomes law, TikTok, as well as Apple and Google, which operate mobile app stores, would face fines if they violated the ban.
It is unclear how the state intends to enforce the ban.
The bill will now be signed by Montana Governor Greg Gianforte.
“The governor will carefully consider any bill that the legislature sends to his desk,” a Montana governor’s office spokesperson said.
In a statement, TikTok said, “We will continue to fight for TikTok users and creators in Montana whose livelihoods and First Amendment rights are threatened by this egregious government overreach.”
Some US lawmakers are calling for a nationwide ban on TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese tech company ByteDance, due to concerns about potential Chinese government influence over the platform.
A congressional committee questioned TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew last month about whether the Chinese government could access user data or influence what Americans see on the app. learn more
TikTok has repeatedly denied sharing data with the Chinese government and has stated that it would not do so if asked.
The company is working on Project Texas, which will create a separate entity to store American user data in the United States on servers run by the American tech company Oracle.
