According to the agency, the leadership of the educational institution fears that the data may be received by the Chinese authorities.
The University of Texas at Austin has banned students from using Chinese social networking site TikTok on campus over fears that Chinese authorities could get their data. This was reported by Bloomberg on Tuesday.
“The university permanently blocks access to TikTok and prohibits the use of the application through the university’s Internet networks,” the message says.
According to the agency, the decision was made after Texas Governor Greg Abbott banned government employees from using the social network on state-issued devices.
Earlier, universities in the states of Alabama and Oklahoma also blocked the TikTok app. According to CNN, more than half of the US states have partially or completely banned the use of the Chinese social network on official devices. They fear that the application collects a large amount of user data and puts the US infrastructure in a vulnerable position.
On December 16, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), William Burns, on behalf of American intelligence, said that TikTok poses a threat to US national security. In his opinion, the Chinese authorities “have the ability” to obtain the personal data of American users of TikTok, as well as control what kind of material is posted on this social network. According to Burns, this is a “reason for concern.”