More States and Universities Decide to Ban TikTok

Tiktok does not only endanger our national security. It also harms the lives of its users.

Last week, a dead body of an Indiana man was found after falling from a 70-foot cliff in Puerto Rico. Fox reported that he was attempting to film social media videos on TikTok.

Edgar Garay, 27, had been on a recreational day trip with his brother and cousin… when he stumbled toward the edge of the cliff near a lighthouse in Cabo Rojo.

The US Coast Guard deployed search teams overnight before discovering Garay’s body underwater.

Events like these are one of the many reasons triggering our patriot leaders to ban TikTok for good.

College Nationwide to Ban TikTok

Colleges across America are banning access to TikTok on university-owned Wi-Fi networks. Their reason mostly lies in national security concerns with the Chinese-owned company’s app.

FBI Director Christopher Wray said that Chinese officials have broad access to TikTok. This allows them to influence operations and data manipulation. 

So far, these are the colleges that have taken action against TikTok:

• University of Texas At Arlington
• University of North Texas
• University Of Texas At Dallas
• Auburn University (Alabama)
• University Of Oklahoma
• Boise State University (Idaho) 
• Morgan State University(Maryland)
• Montana Universities System

Research Associate at Heritage Foundation Tech Policy Center Jake Denton expressed concern about how much data is tracked by TikTok and its location tracking feature… allowing China government intervention in real-life situations if desired.

More States Ban the Popular App

Several states signed executive orders that limit individuals from accessing the app. Especially while using state internet networks. Some of them are:

• Texas
• Alabama
• Oklahoma
• Arkansas
• Idaho
• Maryland Montana
• South Dakota

Wisconsin and North Carolina became the latest states to ban TikTok from government devices… due to cybersecurity risks posed by the Chinese-owned social media platform.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) and Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) both issued statements in support of protecting their respective states IT systems. Especially from foreign countries that have participated in cyberattacks against the US.

They’re also banning WeChat. This is a messaging platform owned by a Chinese technology company. It’s also leaving the possibility of banning other applications with an “unacceptable cybersecurity risk.”

Around 20 state governments have banned TikTok from official devices over security concerns. Federal employees are also barred from using it on government devices.

Moreover, Republican Sen. Josh Hawley (Mo.) and Rep. Ken Buck (Colo.) introduced a bill to ban the video-sharing app TikTok from being downloaded on US devices… due to national security concerns raised by lawmakers, mostly Republicans.

The proposal would: 

• Direct the president to block transactions with TikTok’s parent company ByteDance
• Require a report from the director of national intelligence regarding potential threats posed by TikTok (such as data access for surveillance or blackmail)
• Include penalties for entities that attempt to evade sanctions against ByteDance

Many states have already passed bans on government-issued devices at the state level. Our leaders are doing everything they can to protect our nation from threats like this.