University of Oklahoma Reconsidering TikTok Ban on School Networks

The University of Oklahoma is reconsidering its ban of the Chinese-owned social media app TikTok on university-issued devices and networks, the school said in a statement Friday.

Oklahoma is one of several public colleges, including the University of Texas-Austin, Auburn University and Boise State University, to ban the app on school networks due to claimed security risks. More than 25 states banned the app on government devices (see 2301120048). Congress approved a ban on federal devices in December (see 2212270051).

The University of Oklahoma banned the app on its networks and devices in response to an executive order from Gov. Kevin Stitt (R). The school ordered officials to delete all university-administered TikTok accounts. However, a spokesperson said Friday the school received clarification that the executive order doesn’t apply to public universities, so the changes are under further review: “We expect to finalize an updated response in the next few weeks. Part of our review includes the continued use of official TikTok accounts. We have paused changes to university-administered accounts until the completion of our review.”

Auburn restricted the use of the app on school networks to “protect valuable information and to reduce the possible cybersecurity threats” of TikTok, a school spokesperson said Friday. In line with guidance from federal and Alabama officials, the school is continuing to evaluate security risks. “This policy, based on currently available information, is in effect until further notice,” the school said. “Auburn will continue to monitor security developments regarding TikTok and will communicate any modifications to this policy that result from changing circumstances."

Tech industry representatives and a tech-aligned think tank defended TikTok last week, saying the bans against the social media app ignore the broader, more important policy questions. This “all-out assault on TikTok” is an opportunity to use the company as a “punching bag” instead of having tough conversations about real cyber solutions, said NetChoice Vice President Carl Szabo in an interview.

These “underlying security concerns” aren’t “unique” to TikTok, said Information Technology and Innovation Foundation Policy Analyst Gillian Diebold: School bans offer no real security benefit because students and faculty can continue using the app on personal devices. There are legitimate national security concerns about TikTok, including Chinese parent company ByteDance’s ability to access unencrypted user messages, she said, noting TikTok acknowledges Chinese employees accessed American data in the past.

TikTok has been working with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. for more than two years on a plan that addresses corporate governance, content moderation, data security and system access, the company said Friday: “This is a comprehensive package of measures with layers of government and independent oversight to ensure that there are no backdoors into TikTok that could be used to manipulate the platform.“ TikTok isn’t waiting on the review to implement changes, the company said. TikTok is “disappointed that so many states are jumping on the political bandwagon to enact policies that will do nothing to advance cybersecurity in their states and are based on unfounded falsehoods,” the company said. “We're especially sorry to see the unintended consequences of these rushed policies beginning to impact universities.”

“Policymakers cannot solve security, privacy, or safety issues by banning one app at a time,” said Diebold. “They would be better off spending their time enacting legislation that targets these core issues.” She urged Congress to pass federal data privacy legislation requiring companies to disclose information about data sharing, particularly any requests for American data from foreign governments. End-to-end encryption is also vital, Diebold said. Szabo warned politicians against “leapfrogging” the findings of cybersecurity experts, saying they should wait for the results from DOJ and CFIUS before extending any further bans.

“There’s no evidence” TikTok transferred data to the Chinese government, though it’s possible, said Georgia Tech communications professor Milton Mueller. He helped lead a recent study concluding TikTok isn’t a national security threat (see 2301090061). Regardless, the Chinese government can gather public-facing data from all social media activity. “If it is a problem [with TikTok], then it’s a problem for every social media app,” he said. “The solution is not to ban one app"; the solution is for government officials, politicians and bureaucrats to be more careful about what information they share publicly, he said.