First total TikTok ban - Harry-Meghan car chase - Pharma acquisition blocked

Source: Bloomberg

1. Summary
   On Wednesday Montana became the first state to ban TikTok for the general public. The bill signed by Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte requires mobile app stores to make TikTok unavailable for Montana residents. The law does not penalize users of TikTok, or address those who already downloaded TikTok, and will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2024. The bill is also rendered void if TikTok divorces itself from its parent company, ByteDance.
   
   NetChoice, a trade group that represents big tech companies like Google and Meta, said the law is "plainly unconstitutional" in part because it violates Americans' First Amendment rights to online speech. State Sen. Jeremy Trebas noted US tech platforms also present privacy concerns.
   
   FBI Director Christopher Wray has said that while TikTok is reforming its data practices, Chinese companies are "basically" required to do what their government wants. Last week a former ByteDance executive said in a lawsuit that the Chinese Communist Party has "maintained supreme access to all the company data, even data stored in the United States."

   Highly-rated - last 48 hrs
   TikTok is now banned in Montana.
   The Verge (Moderate Left) • Factual Grade 77% • 6 min read
   

1. Different political viewpoint
   Former executive of TikTok parent company claims China ‘maintained’ access to US data.
   The Hill (Center) • Factual Grade 67% • 3 min read

1. Selected long-read
   Are TikTok bans realistic, or even constitutional?
   Deseret News (Moderate Right) • Factual Grade 77% • 6 min read

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