Montana’s TikTok Ban In Three Minutes or Less

David Thornton

David Thornton is a freelance writer and professional pilot who has also lived in Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. He is a graduate of the University of Georgia and Emmanuel College. He is Christian conservative/libertarian who was fortunate enough to have seen Ronald Reagan in person during his formative years. A former contributor to The Resurgent, David now writes for the Racket News with fellow Resurgent alum, Steve Berman, and his personal blog, CaptainKudzu. He currently lives with his wife and daughter near Columbus, Georgia. His son is serving in the US Air Force. You can find him on Twitter @CaptainKudzu and Facebook.

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7 Responses

  1. DavidTC
    Ignored
    says:

    No one even needs a VPN.

    Two seconds searching got me a copy of tiktok apk that any Android user can install on their phone:
    https://apkpure.com/tiktok/com.ss.android.ugc.trill

    Is this illegal? I mean, it probably technically is a copyright violation of TikTok’s software, but that really only matters if TikTok sues over it. As someone who has owned Android devices with no store, trust me, it’s very easy to get _any_ free Android app to download and install, no one actually seems to care about the copyright of these files, only the ones you have to pay for.

    You’ll notice the site isn’t a pirate-looking site, it’s pretty professional setup with an actual company behind it…which actually means that they probably will take the apt down if Montana goes after them, requiring teens to get it from seedier sources. (OTOH, kids can download the apt _now_ and just trade it around.)

    Is downloading from third parties a lot less secure than downloading from Google Play as the file could have viruses in it? Yes.

    Will this not update so it will become slowly out of date and might expose security holes? Also yes.

    Could TikTok just…publish such an apk themselves, on their website? Huh. Yes they could. In fact, they could make one that downloaded the apk and autoupdated. In fact, plenty of places that have been banned from the Android store have done stuff just like that.

    Don’t worry, I’m sure teens aren’t tech savey enough to track down any of that. Or just…trade the apk around themselves. If the app was smart, it would make that very simple: Click here to text your friend a link to the app download.Report

    • DavidTC in reply to DavidTC
      Ignored
      says:

      Well, I say no one needs a VPN…no Android user needs a VPN. Apple users have locked themselves into a single store that operates at the whim of Apply. Good plan?Report

      • Michael Cain in reply to DavidTC
        Ignored
        says:

        I don’t know how common it still is, but companies used to run real private networks over sizeable areas, and — just as examples — packets stamped with an IP address that traces back to Washington might actually be from a machine in Idaho, or vice versa.Report

  2. Burt Likko
    Ignored
    says:

    When TikTok is outlawed, only outlaws will have TikTok.Report

  3. Pinky
    Ignored
    says:

    I guess Montana’s IQ is a little higher than other states’, and it’s headed toward another increase.Report

  4. Mike Schilling
    Ignored
    says:

    The punishment for providing TikTok is being body-slammed by the governor.Report

  5. Philip H
    Ignored
    says:

    Given the SCOTUS rulings today in the Twitter and Google 230 cases, I suspect this won’t survive on appeal.Report

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