Some major Texas universities block TikTok access on internet networks - ABC News

A big of large Texas universities announced overnight that they person banned TikTok from government-issued devices and restricted entree to the societal media app connected their net networks.

The University of Texas astatine Austin, 1 of the nation's largest assemblage campuses, said connected Tuesday that it has banned TikTok from its networks and begun to region the China-owned app from government-issued devices implicit concerns astir information privacy.

The determination aims to bring the field into compliance with a directive from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott past period that called connected authorities agencies to destruct the cybersecurity risks posed by TikTok, Jeff Nyland, advisor to the president for exertion strategy, said successful a connection to students.

"The assemblage is taking these important steps to destruct risks to accusation contained successful the university's web and to our captious infrastructure," Nyland said.

The University of Texas astatine Dallas, a abstracted campus, said successful a connection to students connected Tuesday that it began removing TikTok from university-owned devices past period and would instrumentality the further measurement of blocking entree to TikTok connected its Wi-Fi network.

Another large Texas-based university, Texas A&M, told ABC News connected Wednesday that it has taken akin steps to restrict entree to TikTok. The assemblage has blocked entree to the societal media app connected state-owned devices and is successful the process of restricting entree to the app connected its Wi-Fi network, a spokesperson said.

TikTok has faced increasing scrutiny from authorities and national officials implicit fears that American information could autumn into the possession of the Chinese government.

More than fractional of U.S. states person taken steps toward a partial oregon afloat prohibition of TikTok connected authorities devices.

In this photograph illustration, a TikTok App Logo is displayed connected a mobile phone.

SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

The Biden medication and TikTok wrote up a preliminary statement to code nationalist information concerns posed by the app but obstacles stay successful the negotiations, The New York Times reported successful September.

TikTok says that it stores the information of U.S. users extracurricular of China, and has ne'er removed U.S. posts from the level astatine the petition of the Chinese government.

In a connection successful effect to a prohibition from Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan past month, TikTok told ABC News: "We judge the concerns driving these decisions are mostly fueled by misinformation astir our company. We are blessed to proceed having constructive meetings with authorities policymakers to sermon our privateness and information practices. We are disappointed that galore authorities agencies, offices, and universities volition nary longer beryllium capable to usage TikTok to physique communities and link with constituents."

Recent quality stories person called into question the information of idiosyncratic data.

Buzzfeed reported successful June that TikTok engineers based successful China gained entree to intimate accusation connected U.S. users, specified arsenic telephone numbers. Forbes reported successful October that ByteDance, TikTok's genitor company, intended to usage the app to entree accusation connected immoderate users.

The Trump medication tried to ban TikTok successful 2020, yet calling connected ByteDance to merchantability the app to a U.S. company. However, the merchantability ne'er took place.