Arizona State University announced Monday it would be banning TikTok from ASU-managed devices.
The university isn’t alone, Northern Arizona University and the University of Arizona told ABC15 they are taking the same step.
“I probably use it one to two hours a day,” said ASU sophomore Sofia Zimmerman.
Some students said they use it every day as a part of their daily routine.
“When I’m bored, I’ll go on TikTok or even taking a break between like homework sessions,” said ASU sophomore Peyton Idelman.
“I’m definitely in the hacks like the beauty hacks and stuff,” said Zimmerman. “I also use it for what’s going on in the area like the Tempe Art Festival that popped up on my for you page.”
But with security concerns looming and the federal government stepping in, major universities in Arizona are taking action.
“TikTok will no longer be allowed to be installed on ASU-managed devices as the university takes steps following President Biden’s recent order for federal contractors,” said a spokesperson for ASU.
ASU says the school will discontinue the use of official university accounts on the app, but students will still be able to use TikTok on campus.
Two other Arizona universities confirmed they were taking the same step Monday.
“NAU has complied with the executive order. TikTok has been removed from all university-owned devices or we have disabled the device,” said a spokesperson for NAU.
Finally, U of A said they are also working to remove the app from university devices.
"The University of Arizona is already in full compliance with the Biden Administration's guidance and is working to block TikTok from university-owned personal computing devices,” said a spokesperson.
ABC15 spoke with a data and tech expert who says, "the security as it pertains to ASU is really what the ban is just trying to address.
“Individuals have to decide on their own whether they’re concerned about this,” said Ken Colburn with Data Doctors.
Colburn said the main concern, TikTok’s parent company is Chinese based and there is a major question of what information is being shared with their government.
“It’s things like location, location data, or allowing to share your contacts,” said Colburn. “Obviously facial recognition is becoming huge.”
He told ABC15 for the most part it isn’t what has been done, but what could happen down the line.
“What could be done is the concern,” said Colburn. “The Chinese government is notorious for requiring companies to provide information.”
A secondary concern is a potential misinformation campaign.
“Each student is going to have to look at this do their homework, read about it, and research it,” said Colburn. Look at the privacy tips, that if you are going to use it maybe minimize some of the information you are going to be sharing.”
Those steps, include turning off location and contact sharing.
On a national level, some members of Congress were not convinced after the TikTok CEO’s recent testimony.
Some are still pushing for a nationwide ban or for the company to be sold. Proving the TikTok battle is far from over.
