HANDE BERKTAN
Following state institutions in the USA, state universities continue to ban the Chinese social media application TikTok at full speed 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 Wi-Fi networks and school-related devices.
As it will be remembered, Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered TikTok to be banned in Texas state institutions in the state apparatus, in reference to the security concerns stemming from China at the beginning of December. Abbott described the concerns as “growing threats” and gave agencies until mid-February to plan the changes.
Jeff Neyland, Adviser to the University of Texas Technology Strategy Leader, said this week, “The University is taking these valuable steps to eliminate risks to the information contained 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 a large amount of data and presents this potentially sensitive information to the Chinese government.” said.
FBI Director Christopher Wray warned of TikTok’s ability to collect data on its users, as well as its potential to spread Chinese state influence operations. “All 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.
