Oil and LNG Tankers Turn Back as Strait of Hormuz Security Risks Escalate 
SK Hynix Prices Record U.S. ADR Offering at $149 After $200 Billion Investor Demand 
Zhipu AI Raises HK$31.37 Billion in Discounted Share Sale to Accelerate AI Growth 
Apple Tests China's CXMT Memory Chips as DRAM Maker Gains Global Market Share 
Wolfspeed Sues Navitas Over GaN and SiC Patent Infringement 
China 618 Smartphone Sales Drop 13% as Higher Prices Hurt Demand, Huawei Gains Market Share 
Sino Biopharm Stock Rises After AstraZeneca Licensing Deal, GSK Partnership Expansion 
WiseTech Global Shares Surge as Richard White Steps Down as Executive Chair 
Bank of America Upgrades T-Mobile to Buy, Says LEO Satellite Fears Are Overdone 
Netflix, Disney, YouTube Eye FIFA World Cup TV Rights in Multi-Billion Dollar Battle 
Nvidia Invests $500M in Firmus Technologies Ahead of Planned ASX IPO 
LG Energy Solution Q2 Profit Plunges 77% Despite Revenue Growth on Weak EV Demand 
Samsung Q2 Profit Seen Soaring as AI Memory Demand Keeps Chip Prices Elevated 
Meta Says States Seek $1.4 Trillion in Penalties Over Teen Social Media Addiction Lawsuit 
TikTok has been banned in Montana, and it was the first state in the United States to do so. A federal judge scrapped the order after saying it was an unconstitutional decision.
U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy explained that the Montana bill “oversteps state power and infringes on the constitutional rights of users.” With this statement issued on Thursday, Nov. 30, he just blocked the ban on TikTok that was supposedly set to be implemented next year.
“Despite the state’s attempt to defend (the law) as a consumer protection bill, the current record leaves little doubt that Montana’s legislature and Attorney General were more interested in targeting China’s ostensible role in TikTok than with protecting Montana consumers,” Associated Press News quoted the judge as saying while granting the preliminary injunction. “This is especially apparent in that the same legislature enacted an entirely separate law that purports to broadly protect consumers’ digital data and privacy.”
First State to Bar TikTok Use
Based on the court documents obtained by NBC News, Judge Molloy issued a preliminary injunction that will stop the state of Montana from blocking TikTok. It was said that the ban was imposed in May when Gov. Greg Gianforte signed SB 419.
If Judge Molloy did not reverse the decision, TikTok would have been blocked in the state starting January 2024. It was also indicated in the ban order that each time a user is offered to download the short-form video hosting app, it would have been considered a violation that would entail a $10,000 penalty.
The Montana Justice Department will enforce the fine. Moreover, aside from TikTok itself, the app stores offering the application will also be held liable for the breach of the ban instead of the users in Montana.
Montana’s Response to New Decision
Montana’s attorney general’s office responded to the judge’s decision to stop the ban on TikTok. The office spokesperson, Emilee Cantrell, said, “The judge indicated several times that the analysis could change as the case proceeds and the state has the opportunity to present a full factual record. We look forward to presenting the complete legal argument to defend the law that protects Montanans from the Chinese Communist Party obtaining and using their data.”
Photo by: Alexander Shatov/Unsplash
