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University Of Texas Has Blocked TiKTok – Does It Address Security Threats Or Inhibit The Educational Experience?

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Students and faculty at the University of Texas at Austin won't be able to view or share their dance videos and other clips on TikTok – at least not via the school's Internet network. Earlier this week, the university announced that it was taking steps to comply with Republican Governor Greg Abbott's December 7 directive to all state agencies to eliminate the cybersecurity risk posed by the Chinese-owned mobile app.

On Tuesday, the school blocked TikTok access on all of its networks – including wired and WiFi networks. The university said it was taking the steps to eliminate risks to information contained in its network and to its critical infrastructure.

"Legitimate uses of TikTok to support university functions (e.g., law enforcement, any investigatory matters, academic research, etc.) will be considered, but you must request an exception through the UT Information Security Office," said Jeff Neyland, advisor to the president for technology strategy, in an official statement.

"Any exceptions granted will require TikTok to operate on an isolated, single-purpose university-issued device not connected to the university's WIFI or wired network (cellular only). All exceptions must ultimately be reviewed and approved by the president, UT System chancellor, and governor's office," Neyland added.

This actually goes further than Abbott's directive, which called for a TikTok ban on all school-owned devices across all public universities in the Lone Star State.

"The University of Texas at Austin has taken the additional measure of banning access to TikTok across the campus wi-fi," noted Dr. Mai-Ly Nguyen Steers, assistant professor in Duquesne's School of Nursing.

The calls to ban TikTok entirely in the United States have been growing in recent months, due to the fact that ByteDance, its parent company, is based in China.

"Tik Tok compromises the security of users and it makes them vulnerable to a variety of malicious behavior from China. The data of users is 100% accessible to China State Security and Ministry of Propaganda," warned David Jacobson, professor of global business strategy at Southern Methodist University's Cox School of Business.

The decision by the University of Texas to take it a step further isn't entirely surprising, nor is it the first school to take such a course of action.

"Other colleges, including the University of Oklahoma and Auburn University in Alabama, have banned the app, and Abbott's order followed a similar move by 15 other state governors, including South Dakota's Kristi Noem," explained technology industry analyst Charles King of Pund-IT.

"There is a tremendous amount of research being done at the University of Texas that may seem civilian oriented but has dual-use applications and phones of users involved in research can be used to compromise access to (that data)," added Jacobson. "Finally the algorithm has malicious features embedded in Tiktok that are not found on western social media that help target vulnerable users in mean and cruel ways."

Ineffective Reaction?

One question is how effective the move will be, especially as it won't actually keep students and others from using TikTok on their personal devices.

"The bans are at schools throughout the U.S. especially throughout Texas with pressure on schools through the U.S.," said Adamm Miguest, CEO of Rapid Launch Media, which aids influencers in expanding their brand.

The ban is to protect against data breaches, but it could prove ineffective because most people, especially students, have 5G data access on their phones which will bypass WiFi blockers.

"Most (users) likely access/post to TikTok with their personal phones," said King. "Banning access on government WiFi and wireless networks is akin to parents sternly withholding the keys to the family minivan when their kids already have new Ford Mustangs parked in the driveway. To my mind, the users who stand to suffer the most are university and state employees who access TikTok during idle times at work. Sad for them but perhaps an unintended side effect will be more efficient governance."

It could also impact those who are using the apps for more than social connections.

"Policies impacting posting can stifle creativity," Miguest warned. "Nowadays many students utilize social platforms for their work, projects, and communication. By banning these platforms not even for educational purposes limits those capabilities and inhibits worldwide educational conversations."

Valid Health Concerns?

The final part of the equation is whether this will have any impact on students' mental health – especially as social media is so widely used by today's youth.

"This action may have both pros and cons," said Nguyen Steers. "Traditionally, increased social media usage has been linked to depressive symptoms among younger adults. However, it is unknown what impact this will have on students' mental health due to the fact that these actions might be interpreted by students as a restriction on their freedoms."

She cited reactance theory, where students may actually increase their TikTok usage – known as a boomerang effect – as a result of a perceived threat to their freedoms. As students will still be able to access TikTok on their own devices away from the campus WiFi, the ban might not be that effective.

"Thus, it could potentially increase or decrease students' mental health," said Nguyen Steers, "and academic productivity depending on their perceptions."

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