TikTok sues US state of Montana for banning the app

San Francisco: Chinese short-video making app TikTok on Tuesday hit back at the US state of Montana with a lawsuit, after Montana Governor Greg Gianforte banned TikTok in the state last week.

TikTok said in its complaint that Montana's ban violates the Constitution by "limiting the company's right to host and distribute user-created content".

"We are challenging Montana's unconstitutional TikTok ban to protect our business and the hundreds of thousands of TikTok users in Montana," the platform said in a tweet.

"We believe our legal challenge will prevail based on an exceedingly strong set of precedents and facts," it added.

TikTok has been facing immense pressure in the US in recent months, amid cries for a nationwide ban.

Last week, in an effort to protect residents from alleged Chinese intelligence gathering, Gianforte signed a bill banning TikTok in the US state.

It was the first US state to ban this popular short video app.

"To protect Montanans' personal and private data from the Chinese Communist Party, I have banned TikTok in Montana," Gianforte tweeted.

The bill prevents TikTok from operating "within the territorial jurisdiction of Montana" and requires that its app be removed from Montana mobile app stores.

Not just TikTok, the Governor also banned Telegram Messenger, Chinese app WeChat, Temu, CapCut and Lemon8.

Montana's new policy will come into effect on June 1.