Prof. Alan Rozenshtein Quoted by CNN on Montana TikTok Ban

Professor Alan Rozenshtein was quoted by CNN on Montana's recent TikTok ban. This unprecedented move opens a whole new box of legal questions in an already complicated legal landscape when it comes social media in general, but especially TikTok. How state officials plan to determine non-compliance remains unknown, as well as whether app stores will be able to successfully implement more specific region-locking to certain apps. Additionally, a sizable percent of Montana's population already has TikTok installed on their devices, and those who don't could easily circumnavigate region-locked apps via any readily available consumer-grade VPN software.

While proving that an app is still accessible for download within the state could open an app provider, or ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, to potential litigation, it would do little to achieve what the new law is actually trying to accomplish: stopping Montanans from using TikTok. Professor Rozenshtein explained to achieve the governor's truly desired end results “would require Montana to do surveillance of its own citizens of who’s downloading, and how.”