FAMU bans TikTok from college campus

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) - Florida A&M University is the latest academic institution to ban TikTok on its campus.

FAMU Vice President of Information Technology Robert Seniors said the college implemented the rule March 7 out of an abundance of caution for students and staff.

“The application is deemed a threat to national security and privacy use,” Seniors said.

The U.S. has threatened a nationwide ban of the short-form video application if its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, doesn’t comply with the Biden administration’s push for the business to divest. The program is already banned on federal government devices and some state government technology.

The new regulation from the university prohibits the app on desktops, laptops, tablets, iPads, cell phones and network devices.

A FAMU spokesperson stated that TikTok and Fizz, a social app for college students, are two examples of programs the school has blocked.

Anyone trying to access a blocked software on university property will be redirected to the FAMU unauthorized access page, Senior said. And if the apps are installed on university-owned equipment, it has to be removed.

The FAMU TikTok account appears to be inactive now.

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