Last month, The Senate passed a bill banning federal employees from using TikTok on government devices.

Several universities have since decided to cut off access to the social network from campus Wi-Fi, in accordance with their respective governors’ executive orders to restrict the App (owned by Chinese ByteDance) on state-owned devices and networks. 

The motivation is always the same: the Chinese application is a tool of espionage and propaganda in the service of Beijing. It must therefore be kept outside the circle of the most sensitive state systems, such as those of public administration.

“We’re 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 about TikTok,” said a spokesperson for TikTok. “We’re sorry to see the unintended consequences of these rushed policies beginning to impact universities’ ability to share information, recruit students, and build communities around athletic teams, student groups, campus publications, and more."