TikTok CEO Chew: Montana's ban on the app 'unconstitutional'

[May 23, 2023]  DOHA (Reuters) - TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew said on Tuesday the state of Montana's ban of the app was unconstitutional and that he was confident his company will prevail in the lawsuit challenging the decision.  

A smartphone with a displayed TikTok logo is placed on a computer motherboard in this illustration taken February 23, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/

"We believe that the Montana bill that was recently passed is simply unconstitutional," Chew told the Qatar Economic Forum organised by Bloomberg.

The Chinese-owned company filed a lawsuit on Monday against Montana's decision to ban TikTok from operating in the state in order to protect residents from alleged intelligence gathering by China.

(Reporting by Andrew Mills and Aziz El Yaakoubi; Editing by Alex Richardson)

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