Students question TikTok bans at public universities - NBC News

When immoderate students instrumentality to their assemblage campuses aft the holidays, they whitethorn find themselves incapable to log successful to their favourite app.

The University of Oklahoma and Auburn University successful Alabama announced this period that they would prohibition entree to TikTok from field Wi-Fi, successful accordance with their respective governors’ enforcement orders to restrict the app connected state-owned devices and networks. 

But a fistful of students astatine the affected universities who spoke with NBC News accidental the recently enacted policies won’t halt them from scrolling their For You pages. Many called the prohibition unnecessary.

“You’re taking thing distant from students who person thing to bash with the authorities oregon authorities exertion for the authorities of Alabama,” said Christopher Graham, a inferior astatine Auburn University.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey banned TikTok connected state-owned devices and networks connected Dec. 12, citing cybersecurity issues and fears implicit Chinese spying. Meanwhile, states similar Maryland banned the app and different Chinese and Russian products Dec. 6 aft an investigation by NBC News revealed that a state-sponsored hacking radical stole millions successful unemployment wealth from the U.S.

Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Montana, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Virginia besides person implemented akin bans successful the past month. Nebraska banned the app for authorities officials successful 2020. Lawmakers successful the U.S. House and the Senate besides projected a bipartisan measure to prohibition TikTok federally connected Dec. 13.

On Tuesday, NBC News reported that lawmakers and staffers were instructed successful a memo from Catherine L. Szpindor, the main administrative serviceman of the House, that they indispensable delete TikTok from immoderate House-issued mobile phones and are prohibited from downloading the fashionable app connected specified devices. The memo said the prohibition comes aft the office’s cybersecurity portion recovered TikTok to beryllium a “high hazard to users due to a fig of information risks.”

While Graham said helium understands that Auburn's argumentation stems from Ivey's mandate, it isn’t wide to him however students’ information was arsenic delicate oregon successful request of extortion arsenic that of authorities officials.

“We were successful awe and shock," Graham said of the university's decision. "TikTok is, like, thing we bash to, like, walk the time, due to the fact that there’s not ever thing to bash connected field oregon not ever thing to bash with your friends. So it was truly awkward erstwhile present we log connected to our Wi-Fi and boom, you can’t get connected TikTok."

A spokesperson for Auburn University clarified that students weren't barred from utilizing TikTok altogether, lone that they wouldn't beryllium capable to entree it connected Auburn’s networks oregon devices.

“Efforts are underway to region TikTok from each state-owned devices provided by Auburn," the assemblage wrote successful a connection sent to its field community, which a spokesperson shared with NBC News. "Note besides that the caller argumentation recommends removing TikTok from idiosyncratic devices to support a person’s privateness determination arsenic well. The governor’s bid addresses the increasing hazard of intrusive societal media applications harvesting information wholly unrelated to concern usage of the platform."

Some astatine the University of Oklahoma echoed concerns akin to Graham’s.

Oklahoma authorities officials look to beryllium focusing much connected “hot button, infinitesimal issues, similar societal media apps, alternatively of really caring for our susceptible populations present successful Oklahoma,” said Ryan Woods, a sophomore astatine the University of Oklahoma. “And we conscionable benignant of consciousness similar the absorption needs to beryllium redirected elsewhere.”

For example, helium said, acquisition and wellness attraction are argumentation areas successful which the authorities could improve.

On Dec. 8, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt issued an enforcement bid banning “state authorities agencies, employees and contractors connected authorities networks oregon government-issued devices, including state-issued compartment phones, computers, oregon immoderate different instrumentality susceptible of net connectivity,” from accessing TikTok. 

Nathan Aaron Texada, a elder astatine the University of Oklahoma studying concern and systems engineering, said the prohibition specifically hurts the Gallogly College of Engineering.

"We person an engineering TikTok that we spell connected conscionable to make, like, lighthearted jokes astir what it is to beryllium an engineer,” Texada said. “People tin nonstop those incoming students, oregon conscionable precocious schoolhouse students, and present we can’t person that.”

As of past week, the department's relationship had been deleted. 

A University of Oklahoma spokesperson said the schoolhouse is complying with Stitt’s enforcement order.

“As a effect of the Executive Order, entree to the TikTok level volition beryllium blocked and cannot beryllium accessed from the field network. University-administered TikTok accounts indispensable beryllium deleted and alternate societal media platforms utilized successful their place,” the schoolhouse said successful a connection to students and employees, which it shared with NBC News. 

Texada said helium felt that TikTok, beyond helping with marketing, has besides been a assets for the assemblage community, peculiarly planetary students.

“Some of them don’t person telephone bills,” Texada said. “They trust connected the Wi-Fi to bash everything. They’ll pass connected WhatsApp and different societal medias, and truthful if they don’t person a phone, they don’t person data, they can’t usage TikTok astatine all, due to the fact that they’re relying connected [university] Wi-Fi.”

A spokesperson for TikTok said it is "disappointed" by the caller bans by authorities governments and present immoderate universities.

“We’re disappointed that truthful galore states are jumping connected the governmental bandwagon to enact policies that volition bash thing to beforehand cybersecurity successful their states and are based connected unfounded falsehoods astir TikTok," spokesperson Brook Oberwetter said successful an email statement. "We’re particularly atrocious to spot the unintended consequences of these rushed policies opening to interaction universities’ quality to stock campus-wide information, enlistee students, and physique communities astir diversion teams, pupil groups, field publications, and more.”

Still, Texada, Woods and Graham said they judge the caller guidance astatine their schools volition person minimal impacts connected students who usage the app.

They listed respective ways students could get astir the ban, including utilizing their information oregon virtual backstage networks, tools that encrypt net activity, and going off-campus to usage antithetic web connections.

"If anything, it'll benignant of conscionable extremity up being an irritating origin for a batch of students, similar those who unrecorded connected field and who are successful the dorms," Woods said.