TikTok bans due to security concerns

by David Anton Golridge staff reporter

In late 2022, U.S. Congress passed a bill banning TikTok from government devices. This stemmed from the growing concern over its current ownership, the Chinese company ByteDance. Following this incident, public universities like Arkansas State, Auburn, Oklahoma, Georgia, Idaho State and Iowa, banned the app from school-owned devices. The University of Wisconsin recently followed suit, restricting TikTok usage on system devices.

For TikTok, security issues on user information collected by the app were the primary concern, as the app could potentially share information with the Chinese government. “Every social media app collects data on its user, but then sharing information to [the] government is where the security issues lie,” said Christopher Hagel, math teacher.

Some call for further action, believing a complete ban is necessary. “If they are gonna ban the app they should do it all together otherwise it defeats the point since you could access it and the app could still collect user information,” said sophomore Verayn Naikwad.

Many of the 80 million monthly active users in the U.S. browse TikTok for entertainment and information, and some even rely on it as a source of expression and income. However, some believe that safety should take precedence. “Any national security issue should be a priority even though it affects a lot of people who not only watch TikTok but use it as a means to express themselves,” said Naikwad.

Even if TikTok is banned in certain networks, people continue to use it, bringing up concerns over whether people truly care about their privacy and security. “Apps like Snapchat state in their terms that they share user information which is provided by the user to third parties but then people still use it,” added Hagel. issues, this is gonna make sure people aren’t gonna be scrolling through much and wasting their time, [and] they would be more productive,” said junior Wyatt Mackenthun.

Bans of TikTok have seen major controversy, as they involve balancing privacy concerns and freedom of expression. Currently, the ban only affects government devices and certain schools, but it remains unclear how extensively it will be enforced in the future.

He suggests that security concerns have never stopped users before.

Another issue with a total ban of TikTok is that it restricts a student’s use of the social media platform, potentially violating their First Amendment rights on freedom of expression. “You are still able to access [TikTok], just not in their WiFi which could also place an argument that it is private property,” added Hagel. Hagel believes that the ban is not extensive, and does not affect most people.

Other than security issues, some people feel this ban is for the best as it reduces the amount of time spent on TikTok daily. “Even if [the problem] isn’t security