JUDGE TO HEAR ARGUMENTS FROM TIKTOK AND CONTENT CREATORS WHO ARE CHALLENGING MONTANA'S BAN ON APP

A federal judge is scheduled to hear arguments in a case filed by TikTok and five Montana content creators who want the court to block the state's ban on the video sharing app before it takes effect Jan. 1.

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U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy of Missoula is not expected to rule immediately on the request for a preliminary injunction.

Montana became the first state in the U.S. to pass a complete ban on the app, based on the argument that the Chinese government could gain access to user information from TikTok, whose parent company, ByteDance, is based in Beijing.

Content creators say the ban violates free speech rights and could cause economic harm for their businesses.

TikTok said in court filings that the state passed its law based on "unsubstantiated allegations," that Montana cannot regulate foreign commerce and that the state could have passed a law requiring TikTok limit the kinds of data it could collect, or require parental controls, rather than trying to enact a complete ban.