Another university is banning TikTok on its campus network.
Clemson University started blocking the social media app on devices that connect to the school’s network starting Monday and in advance of students returning to campus next month, The Post and Courier reported.
Staff and students were alerted to the change on July 7 in an email that read in part “This step allows the university to protect institutional resources and information while safeguarding the privacy of a wide variety of devices connected to the Clemson network.”
It will be blocked on wifi and wired connections to the campus network, WSPA reported. If a user connects via their cellular network then TikTok will be allowed.
Ironically, Clemson has several official accounts on the now-banned platform, but where they stand was not shared, the newspaper reported.
Last year South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster banned the app on government-managed devices due to security concerns.
“Federal law enforcement and national security officials have warned that TikTok poses a clear and present danger to its users, and a growing bi-partisan coalition in Congress is pushing to ban access to TikTok in the United States, ” McMaster said, according to WSPA.
TikTok is owned by Chinese tech company Bytedance, The Associated Press reported. Bytedance says it does not share data with the Chinese government and that says it does not collect any more data than other social media companies.
Some lawmakers had called for a total ban on TikTok. Many countries have banned it on government-issued devices, according to the AP.
Montana issued a full ban in May, the first state to do so, Business Insider reported.
Dozens of universities and colleges have blocked TikTok on their networks including all of the schools that are part of the University System of Georgia, The Post and Courier reported.
