Government institutions and universities in the USA ban TikTok
HANDE BERKTAN
Following state institutions in the US, public universities continue to ban the Chinese social media application TikTok due to security concerns.
TikTok, owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, has blocked access to public university campuses in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and now Texas from school-owned devices and wi-fi networks.
As it will be remembered, Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered TikTok to be banned on state devices in Texas state institutions at the beginning of December, citing security concerns from China. Abbott described the concerns as “growing threats” and gave agencies until mid-February to plan for changes.
Jeff Neyland, Advisor to the President of Technology Strategy at the University of Texas, said this week, “The University is taking these important steps to eliminate risks to the information residing in the university’s network and our critical infrastructure. As stated in the governor’s directive, TikTok is able to protect users from their devices (when, where and how they conduct their internet activities). collects large amounts of data and presents this potentially sensitive information to the Chinese government.” said.
FBI Director Christopher Wray has warned of TikTok’s ability to collect data on its users, as well as its potential to spread Chinese state influence operations. “All of this is in the hands of a government that does not share our values and has a mission that is so contrary to the interests of the United States,” Wray said.
