Montana became the first US state to block the video-sharing app, when Republican governor Greg Gianforte signed a bill into law on Wednesday. The new rule prohibits app stores from offering the video-sharing app from January 1, 2024 and prevents TikTok from operating as a business in the state.Five TikTok creators who live in the state filed a similar lawsuit hours after the bill was signed. TikTok has filed a lawsuit to overturn Montana’s new ban on the social media platform, the company said. The app has more than a billion users worldwide and is widely used in the US and Europe, fuelling fears that Chinese authorities and secret services might use the app to collect information from users or to spread influence. Is the TikTok ban justified ?