Why is TikTok banned in the University of Texas? Latest move amasses backlash online

The University of Texas at Austin made an announcement on Tuesday, January 17, stating that they have blocked access to popular social media platform TikTok on Wi-Fi networks controlled by the campus. There has since been an uproar among students and netizens regarding the same.The announcement stated that students as well as faculty will not be given access to the short-video platform if they connect to the university's internet servers.The step came after Governor Greg Abbott’s directive demanded that all state agencies remove TikTok from government-issued devices, including desktops, laptops, and cellphones. Cybersecurity risks were cited as the reason behind this ban. However, law enforcement agencies have been made the only exception where the ban does not apply.Michael The Geek @MichaelTheGeekThe University of Texas at Austin has blocked access to TikTok on its networks following a directive from Texas Governor Gregg Abbot to &quot;eliminate the cybersecurity risks posted by TikTok.&quot;The University of Texas at Austin has blocked access to TikTok on its networks following a directive from Texas Governor Gregg Abbot to &quot;eliminate the cybersecurity risks posted by TikTok.&quot; https://t.co/E0p2206JrVThe university's decision was informed to students via email on Tuesday morning. Jeff Neyland, a technology adviser at the university, wrote that the university was taking these required and necessary steps to eliminate the risks of information contained in the university's network being leaked or hacked. The email continued:“As outlined in the governor’s directive, TikTok harvests vast amounts of data from its users’ devices — including when, where and how they conduct internet activity — and offers this trove of potentially sensitive information to the Chinese government.”Twitterati mock University of Texas' decision of banning TikTok on campus networks while still allowing gunThe decision to ban the popular video-sharing app on campus networks has not been applauded by the common public. They’ve questioned the hypocrisy of the educational institute, which allows guns to be carried on campus but restricts the use of TikTok.Here are some of the reactions:Good Luck Chuck@jBril3y06Students at The University of Texas are able to carry a gun on campus, but are banned from using TikTok. Thanks to their Governor42Students at The University of Texas are able to carry a gun on campus, but are banned from using TikTok. Thanks to their GovernorDemocracy 4 All 😷💛@goodbye56789Students can carry guns at the University of Texas, but they can’t use TikTok. Let’s be perfectly clear that TikTok is used as a tool to mobilize students to become active in society and politics. What the university wants is contrary to education. It is stunning.3119Students can carry guns at the University of Texas, but they can’t use TikTok. Let’s be perfectly clear that TikTok is used as a tool to mobilize students to become active in society and politics. What the university wants is contrary to education. It is stunning.Netizens mock UT-Austin's decision (Image via Twitter/@Melody22M)Netizens mock UT-Austin's decision (Image via Twitter/@NikkiSpeech)Netizens mock UT-Austin's decision (Image via Twitter)Netizens mock UT-Austin's decision (Image via Twitter/@ChrisMarsicano)Netizens mock UT-Austin's decision (Image via Twitter/@Kaos_Vs_Control)Since the announcement from UT-Austin, multiple spokespeople from Texas universities, including those at Texas A&amp;M University System, as well as the University of Texas at Dallas and the University of North Texas at Denton, have announced that they will be restricting the use of TikTok on their campus networks as well.Laylan Copelin, a system spokesperson for A&amp;M said that they are in the process of installing network-based filtering to block both wired and wireless access to download or use the app on their campus network. This means that students, faculty members, and staff, as well as visitors won’t be able to access the app while connected to any A&amp;M network.Other universities across the United States have also blocked the use of the popular app on campus networksTikTok is owned and regulated by Chinese giant ByteDance Ltd. In December 2022, FBI Director Chris Wray brought up concerns about how the app poses a threat to the national security of the United States. He mentioned the possibilities of the Chinese government collecting information on users through the app and manipulating the content using the app’s algorithm.Kris Bowie@KristiaBowieRecently, many states in the United States have successively banned TikTok software. The reason for the ban is called for the safety of users, but in fact it is to suppress Chinese high-tech enterprises, thereby curbing China's rise. Despicable!54Recently, many states in the United States have successively banned TikTok software. The reason for the ban is called for the safety of users, but in fact it is to suppress Chinese high-tech enterprises, thereby curbing China's rise. Despicable! https://t.co/LFW2hkP0H0More than one/third of U.S. states have already banned the app on government devices. A number of universities across the country, including the University of Oklahoma, Auburn University in Alabama, and schools under the University System of Georgia have also blocked access to the app on devices linked to campus networks.Last month, an executive order restricting access to the app on government networks and devices was issued by Oklahoma’s Governor Kevin Stitt. Following this, Oklahoma University announced it would also prohibit access to TikTok on university networks.Auburn University in Alabama removed access to the app after a similar official instruction from their governor. After Idaho Governor Brad Little directed the same order, Boise State University also removed access to the app from its networks.

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