A US Federal Judge blocked a Montana law Thursday that would have banned TikTok in the state starting on January 1st, arguing the bill is unconstitutional on the basis that it violates users’ right to free speech.
A federal judge responsible for deciding the fate of Montana’s unprecedented TikTok ban poked holes in the state’s argument during a hearing Thursday and questioned why the government should prevent users and creators from willfully handing over data to the app.
Montana’s lawsuit-hungry attorney general Austin Knudsen wants US courts to think of TikTok less like a light-hearted home for viral trends and more akin to the harbinger of a life-threatening disease.