Virginia’s Attorney General has authored an amicus brief supporting the ban of TikTok on a statewide level.
The short-form video app, which is especially popular with younger users, is set to be banned next year in Montana. In response to a federal lawsuit challenging the ban, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares — joined by 17 other GOP state attorneys general — says the ban should be legal as it amounts to a “garden variety consumer protection statute.”
More from a press release:
Attorney General Jason Miyares filed an amicus brief, joined by 17 other state attorneys general, in support of the State of Montana’s law banning the popular app ‘TikTok.’ Montana’s action protects its citizens’ privacy from TikTok’s relationship with China and the Chinese Communist Party, and its citizens’ wellbeing from the proven physical and mental health detriments the app has on young children.
“Montana’s elected officials voted to ban TikTok, and Montanans voted to elect their representatives. This legislation is a result of the will of the Montana voters,” said Attorney General Jason Miyares. “We know TikTok poses a threat to our privacy and security because of its connection to the Chinese Communist Party, and study after study shows the app harms our children’s mental health – especially young girls. Montana has the right to protect its citizens.”
In March, Attorney General Miyares joined 45 states and the District of Columbia in asking a state court to order social media company TikTok, Inc. to fully comply with an ongoing investigation into whether the company violated consumer protection laws. As part of the multistate investigation, the state attorneys general sought to review internal TikTok communications to determine whether the company engaged in deceptive, unfair, and unconscionable conduct that harmed the mental health of TikTok users, particularly children and teens.
Earlier this year Virginia banned TikTok and some other apps of Chinese origin from state-owned devices and networks, including on college campuses.
While a total ban does not appear likely in Virginia, would you support a ban if one was proposed?
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