The Chinese-owned media behemoth TikTok will soon be unusable on personal devices in Montana, making it the first US state to do so.
On Wednesday, Governor Greg Gianforte officially enacted the prohibition. It is scheduled to go into effect on January 1.
According to the video-sharing website, the prohibition “violates the people of Montana’s First Amendment rights.”
Authorities from all across the world are investigating TikTok due to worries that data may be given to the Chinese government.
Mr Gianforte, a Republican, told lawmakers that a wider ban would further “our shared priority to protect Montanans from Chinese Communist Party surveillance.”
TikTok said in a statement that it was used by “hundreds of thousands of people” in Montana.
“We want to reassure Montanans that they can continue using TikTok to express themselves, earn a living, and find community as we continue working to defend the rights of our users inside and outside of Montana,” it added.
TikTok is expected to challenge the legislation in the courts.
By a vote of 54 to 43, Montana lawmakers last month approved a bill that forbids the use of TikTok on personal devices.
Although the rule forbids app shops from selling TikTok, it does not prevent users who already own the program from using it.
The app was prohibited on government devices in Montana, a state with a population of just over 1 million, in December.
TikTok claims to have 150 million American users. Although the app’s user base has grown recently, teenagers and users in their 20s continue to be its most loyal followers.
However, there are worries that TikTok could pose a national security risk across the board in the US.
ByteDance, a Chinese firm, owns TikTok.