The University of Florida is encouraging students to dump TikTok, saying the social media platform presents a significant security risk.
Vice President and CIO Elias Eldayrie informed students and faculty via email on Thursday that UF had been monitoring TikTok and took notice of the increasing risk to cybersecurity, according to The Capitolist, a conservative website.
“There is a strong possibility that TikTok will be added in the future to the Fast Path list of software applications not permitted on university devices and networks,” Eldayrie wrote. “They get access to many things on your phone besides what you use their app for.”
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“As a result, the university is strongly discouraging the use of TikTok,” the email added.
“Prominent experts continue highlighting TikTok as a national security concern, pointing to the possibility that foreign governments may use TikTok to control data collection, influence TikTok’s recommendation algorithm, and compromise personal devices.”
“As the university considers additional future steps, we strongly recommend that everyone discontinue using TikTok and remove the app from their devices.”
The website Government Technology reported in December that at least 26 states, including Florida, have taken action against TikTok in recent years, either by banning it from government-owned devices or networks.
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Writing on this issue last week, the Associated Press noted, “TikTok is consumed by two-thirds of American teens and has become the second-most popular domain in the world. But there’s long been bipartisan concern in Washington that Beijing would use legal and regulatory power to seize American user data or try to push pro-China narratives or misinformation.”
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