Taking on ‘Goliath’! Montana AG Launches Investigation into Communist Chinese-Linked TikTok

Montana’s attorney general has announced an investigation into Communist Chinese-linked social media app TikTok, including an examination of TikTok’s censorship.

Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen announced a probe into TikTok, a popular social media platform. TikTok’s parent company ByteDance is partly owned and controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The Attorney General will investigate TikTok for “possible violations of the Montana Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Act,” according to Knudsen’s press release. Knudsen wants answers from TikTok about safety features, content and algorithms. He also asks if TikTok is used by human trafficking border cartels. Knudsen will inquire into how TikTok’s policies and social media platforms affect minors’ mental and physical well-being. Knudsen’s investigation will also examine TikTok’s data sharing with its “Chinese corporate family,” third party data tracking and political censorship.

The press release said Knudsen’s “civil investigative demand includes substantial evidence of dozens of past and current potential violations of Montana law including TikTok intentionally distributing a dangerous product without adequate warning and by publicly misrepresenting the dangers its product poses to Montana consumers.” 

The press release states that TikTok is the world’s number one social media app and has seen an exponential growth. TikTok has been banned in India and China. However, pre-teens and teens from the United States are reported to spend an average of 105 minutes per day on TikTok. While children as young as 13 years can create a profile on TikTok, the app’s algorithms do not differentiate for age, according to Knudsen’s press release.

Knudsen provided details about the reason for the investigation. “This is a critical investigation to protect Montana children and assist Montana parents. The media reports about TikTok potentially aiding Mexican drug cartels, turning a blind eye to sexual predators, and enabling its recommendation engine to promote pornographic materials, drug use, eating disorders, violent ‘challenges,’ and suicidal ideation among teens and preteens are beyond troubling,” AG Knudsen commented. “Montana is happy to take the lead at looking into potential violations of state law by this Chinese social media goliath to help parents keep their children safe online and crack down on platforms which potentially misrepresent their safety features for financial gain.”

Conservatives under attack. Demand that your Senators and Representatives do the same. Big Tech be held to account to mirror the First Amendment while providing transparency, clarity on “hate speech” and equal footing for conservatives. Tech companies must provide equal rights to their users as provided by the First Amendment. This is as interpreted and enforced by the U.S. Supreme Court. If you have been censored, contact us using CensorTrack’s Use the contact formPlease help us make Big Tech more accountable.

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