The University of Florida has banned TikTok across campus, as well as four other apps and websites, Kaspersky, Vkontakte, Tencent QQ, and WeChat.
The ban follows an emergency amendment the Florida Board of Governors, which governs the state’s 12 public universities and colleges, made last week to block access to websites and social media platforms that are “potential cybersecurity threats” to the Florida State University System and national security. The ban was effective immediately.
RELATED: UF bans TikTok on campus amid broader social media crackdown in Florida’s Capitol
The use of applications on University-owned devices or networks is prohibited. Apps will be blocked on devices connected to the campus’ wired and wireless networks, according to a campus-wide email sent out Wednesday.
Universities across Florida that have recently banned TikTok and other apps include University of Florida, Florida State University and Florida International University. Florida A&M University in Tallahassee banned TikTok on university devices and networks last month.
This follows a proposed TikTok ban on government devices moving through the Florida legislature. The ban would also apply to personal devices on government WiFi networks. According to the News Service of Florida, The Senate Fiscal Policy Committee approved a measure (SB 258), filed by Sen. Danny Burgess, R-Zephyrhills, that would direct the state Department of Management Services to create a list of prohibited applications that it considers security risks, such TikTok and WeChat.
Burgess called the Chinese-owned platforms “literal spyware apps.”
