Days after Gov. Kay Ivey issued a memo banning TikTok from government devices, Auburn University announced its plans to prohibit the app as well.
On Wednesday, Auburn’s IT department sent out a notice saying the popular video-sharing app would be banned on campus WiFi and devices, according to AL.com. The IT department on Thursday tweeted a link to the new policy. However, that tweet has since been removed, and the school’s IT page posted an update Saturday saying, “Auburn is monitoring the developments related to accessing TikTok and will provide information as we receive it. Check back later for more information.”
“Banning it on campus might make a lot of people unhappy,” said UAB Cyber Security Expert Dr. Ragib Hasan, according to WBRC. “At the same time, we have to think about the potential risks. Wherever you go, whenever you move, as long as you have an app like TikTok on your phone, that app can track your location almost all the time.”
Auburn University’s official TikTok account currently has 43 videos, the last of which was posted on December 7.
@auburnuofficial We are halfway through finals week, so take a moment and relax on campus!🐯🧡
♬ original sound - Auburn University
Ivey said she banned the app, owned by Chinese parent-company ByteDance, from government agencies due to the potential national security risks.
"Protecting the state of Alabama and our citizens' right to privacy is a must, and I surely don't take a security threat from China lightly," Ivey said in a statement Monday when she announced the state ban. "After we discussed this with our OIT secretary, I came to the no-brainer decision to ban the use of the TikTok app on our state devices and network. Look, I'm no TikTok user, but the evidence speaks for itself, and I want to make sure I'm doing everything we can as a state to stand against this growing security risk."
A growing number of states have banned TikTok, including Maryland, Texas, Utah, Oklahoma, Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia and South Dakota.
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