Five TikTok users in Montana, who create content posted on the short-video app, filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking to block the state's new ban on the Chinese-owned platform, Reuters reported on Thursday.

News of the lawsuit comes a day after Montana Governor Greg Gianforte signed legislation to ban TikTok in the state, effective January. 1. The five users seek to block the law, which makes it unlawful for the app stores of Google and Apple to offer TikTok within the state.

The lawsuit was filed in US District Court in Montana late on Wednesday, and names the state's attorney general, Austin Knudsen, who is charged with enforcing the law, according to Reuters.

The TikTok users argue the state seeks to "exercise powers over national security that Montana does not have and to ban speech Montana may not suppress." The suit said users believe the law violates their First Amendment rights.

"Montana can no more ban its residents from viewing or posting to TikTok than it could ban the Wall Street Journal because of who owns it or the ideas it publishes," the lawsuit said.

TikTok has faced rising concerns over national security due to Chinese parent company ByteDance. Both parties in Washington have become increasingly concerned that the Chinese government could use its legal powers to access the user data of American citizens or to spread misinformation.

In August of 2020, then-President Donald Trump signed an executive order giving Americans 45 days to stop doing business with ByteDance, saying Chinese tech operations may be used for spying. The company later announced it will challenge the crackdown on the service in court.

In December, the US House of Representatives Committee on House Administration banned TikTok from all House-managed mobile devices "due to a number of security risks".

In February, the White House gave government agencies 30 days to ensure they do not have TikTok on federal devices and systems.