Montana’s Republican legislature and GOP governor have now put the force of law behind the first ever U.S. state ban on the social media platform TikTok, in a breaking story Wednesday evening.

BREAKING: Montana has become the first state to completely ban TikTok after the governor signed the most sweeping measure in the U.S. attempting to curtail the app. https://t.co/89gjAqmwJZ

— The Associated Press (@AP) May 17, 2023

The Associated Press:

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Montana became the first state in the U.S. to completely ban TikTok on Wednesday when the state’s Republican governor signed a measure that’s more sweeping than any other state’s attempts to curtail the social media app.

The measure is expected to be challenged legally and will serve as a testing ground for the TikTok-free America that many national lawmakers have envisioned.

This is different from Montana’s government use ban, which is already in place:

When Montana banned the app on government-owned devices in late December, Gov. Greg Gianforte said TikTok posed a “significant risk” to sensitive state data. More than half of U.S. states and the federal government have a similar ban.

Here’s a peek at what’s in the new law:

Montana’s new law prohibits downloads of TikTok in the state and would fine any “entity” — an app store or TikTok — $10,000 per day for each time someone “is offered the ability” to access the social media platform or download the app. The penalties would not apply to users.

As RedState previously reported, the Montana legislature passed the legislation without any problem in mid-April.

Montana isn’t waiting for the Biden administration to fix a possible weak link in our national security. On Friday, the state became the first one in the U.S. to completely ban the use of Chinese government-connected social media platform TikTok. […]

TikTok was quick to react to the bill’s passage, with spokesperson Brooke Oberwetter saying in a statement:

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.

We’ll keep you posted, as lawsuits are expected to follow the law’s passage—and this is a breaking story, sure to have updates.