UT bans TikTok: Why University of Texas has banned video app

Students at The University of Texas at Austin have been banned from using TikTok while on the college’s network as more institutions have been clamping down on the app. 

Over the last year or two, TikTok has cemented itself as a key part of most social media users’ daily routine, as it has become the new hub of viral videos. 

However, there has been plenty of controversy around its security, especially in the United States. Plenty of elected officials have flagged it as a security threat because of its Chinese owners, ByteDance, and there was even a threat that it could be banned nationwide when Donald Trump was President. 

That ban wasn’t implemented, but a number of States have taken it upon themselves in the last few months to shut down its use on government devices. Now, The University of Texas at Austin is following suit. 

Why is TikTok banned at the University of Texas?

That’s right, students at The University of Texas at Austin are now prohibited from using TikTok when connected to the college’s WiFi networks. 

“Today, the university blocked TikTok access on our networks,” the university said in a campus-wide email. “You are no longer able to access TikTok on any device if you are connected to the university via its wired or WIFI networks.”

Texas is one of the states that has ordered government officials to not use the social media platform on any devices that accesses their networks or while in a government building. 

This directive has been put in place to “eliminate the cybersecurity risk posed by TikTok” around “potentially sensitive information” that users may have. 

As noted, a number of states across the nation have already started clamping down on the use of TikTok, but hasn’t been made a national thing yet. It remains to be seen if other states that haven’t already put a similar directive in place, and naturally other universities, will follow suit.