CLEMSON, S.C. — Clemson University is banning TikTok from being access on its campuswide network.
Beginning Monday, July 10 Clemson has blocked the popular social media app from being accessed on any wi-fi connections in campus buildings, including dormitories. The college said they made the move to "protect the integrity of information and resources."
Students, however, are able to still access the app by using their personal data network. The school said they
This is not the first school in the state to make such a move. In May, Coastal Carolina announced they were also blocking TikTok on campus. The university board decided it would block access to the app on all CCU's wired and wifi networks on campus.
Those decisions are part of a broader effort to restrict the social media company which is owned by a Chinese tech company, ByteDance.
Some lawmakers, the FBI and officials at other agencies are concerned the video-sharing app could be used to allow the Chinese government to access information on U.S. citizens or push pro-Beijing misinformation that could influence the public. TikTok says none of this has ever happened.
A former executive at ByteDance alleges the tech giant has served as a “propaganda tool" for the Chinese government, a claim ByteDance says is baseless.
China passed laws in 2014 and 2017 that compel companies to cooperate with the country’s government for state intelligence work. TikTok says it has never been asked to hand over its data and it wouldn’t do so if asked.
Back in December of 2022, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster made a request to block access to the app on all state government phones that fall under the South Carolina Department of Administration.
More than half of all U.S. states have done something similar to McMaster's move. Montana went one step further, banning the app entirely. That new law is expected to go into effect at the beginning of next year. TikTok has sued over that law.