ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – The University of Central Florida announced Thursday that it will block access to TikTok and other social media platforms on its campus.
According to the university, the move comes as a result of an emergency regulation issued by the Florida Board of Governors amid security concerns posed by these platforms.
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UCF officials explained that the policy is aimed at improving security for university data and research.
“Experts and research have recently pointed to the possibility that foreign governments may use certain social media apps, websites and platforms to collect user data and personal identifiers; exert influence over the recommendation algorithm; and compromise devices,” the university said in a statement.
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In a release, UCF declared that the following platforms would no longer be accessible through the university’s networks and must be deleted from any university-owned devices:
- Kaspersky
- VKontakte
- Tencent QQ
- TikTok
- WeChat
- Any subsidiary or affiliate of an entity listed above
The University of Florida, Florida State University, Florida A&M University, the University of South Florida and Florida Atlantic University sent similar messages to their students and staff.
Any students or faculty with questions regarding the policy are urged to contact the university’s IT Support Center, which can be accessed by clicking here.
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