A federal judge in Montana has blocked a bid to ban TikToK in the state. The state-wide ban would have come into effect on 1 January 2024 and would have seen Montana become the first US state to ban TikTok, which is owned by the China-based tech giant ByteDance. Judge Donald Molloy said he blocked the ban because it “oversteps state power” and Montana failed to show how the original SB 419 bill would be “constitutionally permissible,” among other reasons, according to a legal filing released on Thursday. “Despite the State’s attempt to defend SB 419 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,” Judge Molloy wrote in the filing. Judge Molloy’s ruling was a preliminary injunction, so it is possible the ban can still be reinstated. The bill was signed into law by state governor Greg Gianforte in May with the aim of “protecting Montanans from Chinese Communist Party surveillance,” he claimed. Under the law, Montana’s 200,000 TikTok users did not face any repercussions for using the app, however TikTok and other companies faced a $10,000 daily fine for each time someone accessed the app or was “offered the ability” to download it. Opponents of the bill have argued that it violates users’ First Amendment rights. A TikTok spokesperson said in a statement the company is “pleased the judge rejected this unconstitutional law and hundreds of thousands of Montanans can continue to express themselves, earn a living, and find community on TikTok.” ByteDance sued Montana in May to “prevent the state of Montana from unlawfully banning TikTok,” the company said at the time, after state officials alleged the Chinese government “could access data about TikTok users, and that TikTok exposes minors to harmful online content.” TikTok has previously insisted that it does not share data with the Chinese government. Montana attorney general said in a statement that the judge’s decision is merely “a preliminary matter at this point,” adding that the state will continue to defend the ban. In January 2020, the United States Army and Navy banned TikTok on government devices after the Defense Department labeled it a security risk. US lawmakers have expressed concern over the ability of the Chinese Communist Party to access the data of US citizens using the app, and have considered implementing a nationwide ban on TikTok. Read More Apple users told to make urgent update to stay safe Three has gone down Advertisers ‘won’t take risk’ of returning to X after Musk’s expletive-filled rant Apple users told to make urgent update to stay safe Three has gone down Advertisers ‘won’t take risk’ of returning to X after Musk’s expletive-filled rant

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Elon Musk was derided on Twitter after he said there is “far higher” political interest in pursuing Donald Trump than other politicians after the former president was indicted for the second time. The Tesla, SpaceX and Twitter tech tycoon on Thursday called Mr Trump’s indictment “differential enforcement”, suggesting he was unfairly targeted by law enforcement based on political biases. “There does seem to be far higher interest in pursuing Trump compared to other people in politics,” Mr Musk said, reacting to a tweet by a pro-Trump user. “Very important that the justice system rebut what appears to be differential enforcement or they will lose public trust.” Mr Musk, who has declared his support to the Republican party, has courted several prominent right-wing figures in politics and media. Mr Musk also recently oversaw the launch of Florida governor Ron DeSantis’s official 2024 campaign announcement to seek the Republican presidential nomination. Following his takeover of Twitter last year, he had also reinstated suspended accounts of several controversial figures, including Mr Trump and other Republicans. Several users on Mr Musk’s platform commented sarcastically on his support for the twice impeached former president. “Could it be that they have evidence Trump committed crimes? It’s not a real endearing defense to cry out loud ‘what about’ my political adversaries?” a user Marc said. “Isn’t the rebuttal commonly known as a trial?” asked another user sarcastically. “Differential Treatment? Like when poor people get higher/worse sentences because they can’t afford representation?” another user asked. Twitter adviser and close associate of Mr Musk, David Sacks, also weighed in over Mr Trump’s indictment. He referred to allegations by officials that Joe Biden kept government documents in the garage of his Delaware home. “Trump has been indicted for keeping documents in his basement. Makes sense. Everyone knows you’re supposed to keep them in your Corvette,” Mr Shacks said. Mr Trump was indicted on charges of retaining classified government documents at his Mar-a-Lago residence and obstruction of justice, according to a lawyer for the former US president. He is facing seven criminal counts in the federal case, including one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice, one count of making false statements and at least one count of unlawful retention of national defence information. The case by the Justice Department has come as another legal setback for Mr Trump, who seeks a return to the White House in 2024. This is the second indictment against Mr Trump after he faced charges over a hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels. Mr Trump has claimed innocence in both cases. Read More Trump indictment - live: Trump says he’s ‘an innocent man’ as he faces seven charges in documents case Trump indicted in classified documents case in a historic first for a former president Obstruction, false statements and unlawfully retaining documents: The charges against Donald Trump Ivanka and Jared split over attending Trump 2024 launch – follow live Why was Donald Trump impeached twice during his first term? Four big lies Trump told during his 2024 presidential announcement

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