HELENA, Mont.— Montana Governor Greg Gianforte today signed into law a ban on TikTok in the state. While other states have passed narrower bans, Montana is the first to ban TikTok categorically. 

The following can be attributed to Jameel Jaffer, executive director at the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University.

“Montanans are indisputably exercising their First Amendment rights when they post and consume content on TikTok. Because Montana can’t establish that the ban is necessary or tailored to any legitimate interest, the law is almost certain to be struck down as unconstitutional.”

In March, the Knight Institute joined a dozen other free speech, digital rights, and tech policy organizations to send a letter to Congress opposing federal measures seeking to impose a nationwide ban on TikTok. Read the letter here. 

For more information, contact: Lorraine Kenny, lorraine.kenny@knightcolumbia.org.