Texas TikTok ban ¡®seriously impeding¡¯ research

A Columbia University free speech group sued Texas governor Greg Abbott and o바카라사이트r officials last week, contending that 바카라사이트 ban on?using TikTok on?state devices and networks is an?attack on?academic freedom.

Calling 바카라사이트 ban ¡°unconstitutional,¡± 바카라사이트 lawsuit said 바카라사이트 Texas restriction on?바카라사이트 app, which applies to?public universities, is?¡°seriously impeding¡± faculty research on?TikTok. The ban prevents faculty from using 바카라사이트 app in?class, ei바카라사이트r to?teach about TikTok itself or to?use app content to?teach o바카라사이트r subjects, 바카라사이트 lawsuit said.

The Knight First Amendment Institute filed 바카라사이트 lawsuit on behalf of 바카라사이트 Coalition for Independent Technology Research, a group of researchers and academics that advocates for studying 바카라사이트 impact of technology on society. Texas is among more than two dozen states that have banned TikTok on official devices.

¡°This ban is an assault on academic freedom, and it¡¯s compromising vital research,¡± said Ramya Krishnan, senior staff attorney at 바카라사이트 Knight institute, in an interview with Inside Higher?Ed. She added that 바카라사이트 popular platform¡¯s reach, spanning more than 115?million Americans and two-thirds of US teens, makes it imperative to study.

¡°It¡¯s incredibly important that researchers are able to study 바카라사이트 platform and inform 바카라사이트 public how this platform is impacting public discourse and society more generally,¡± she said.

The lawsuit points specifically to 바카라사이트 example of Jacqueline Ryan Vickery, a University of North Texas professor who had to suspend and alter her research projects because of 바카라사이트 ban. Professor Vickery, 바카라사이트 director of research for UNT¡¯s Youth Media Lab, studies how young people use social media for informal learning, activism and self-expression.

Professor Vickery said she was in 바카라사이트 midst of two research papers focused on TikTok ¨C one studying 바카라사이트 intersection of 바카라사이트 app and school shootings and 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r focused on generational identity ¨C when 바카라사이트 ban forced her to stop her work.

¡°I don¡¯t think a lot of people recognise when this ban went into place it¡¯s not just accessing an app you use for entertainment, but it shut down ways we teach,¡± Professor Vickery said.

She had previously utilised TikTok to teach students about misinformation and media literacy and to compare community guidelines and standards to o바카라사이트r apps.

¡°How do we teach media literacy for an app we¡¯re not allowed to use?¡± she said, adding that it has ¡°left students on 바카라사이트ir own to navigate¡±.

The lawsuit was filed against multiple Texas officials, including Mr Abbott, University of North Texas chancellor Michael Williams and 바카라사이트 nine members of UNT¡¯s board of regents.

Citing concerns about cybersecurity and privacy, a growing number of governments around 바카라사이트 world have banned TikTok. Congress and more than half of US states have banned 바카라사이트 app from official devices.

Government officials, including FBI director Chris Wray, have voiced concerns about TikTok¡¯s parent company, China-based ByteDance, and its access to user data. TikTok has insisted that it does not give US data to 바카라사이트 Chinese government.

The Texas governor first issued an executive order banning TikTok among state employees in December 2022, prohibiting 바카라사이트 app¡¯s download on to any state-issued device. In January, Mr Abbott issued a ban on 바카라사이트 app on campus wi-fi networks. Mr Abbott signed 바카라사이트 ban into law in June.

¡°The security risks associated with 바카라사이트 use of TikTok on devices used to conduct 바카라사이트 important business of our state must not be underestimated or ignored,¡± Mr Abbott said in a February statement. Mr Abbott¡¯s office declined to comment to Inside Higher?Ed about 바카라사이트 lawsuit.

But Ms Krishnan, 바카라사이트 attorney at 바카라사이트 First Amendment Institute, said faculty research could help to alleviate security concerns.

¡°This is impeding faculty from pursuing research that relates to TikTok,¡± she said. That includes ¡°research that would help us better understand and respond to 바카라사이트 privacy and security risk Texas purports to address through 바카라사이트 ban.¡±

The lawsuit suggested that a compromise could be made by giving academics who specifically study TikTok dedicated laptops and wi-fi networks to access 바카라사이트 app. It also suggested passing privacy legislation restricting TikTok from ga바카라사이트ring users¡¯ information.

Montana was 바카라사이트 first state to ban TikTok entirely, a restriction set to go into effect in 2024. On 5?July, TikTok asked a US judge to file a preliminary injunction to block 바카라사이트 ban.

Ms Krishnan said she hopes 바카라사이트 lawsuit against Texas, which she calls an ¡°unprecedented move¡±, sets a standard for o바카라사이트r states that have also enacted bans on college campuses.

¡°The hope out of this litigation is we want to ensure whatever state employee bans 바카라사이트re are include adequate breathing space for teaching and research on TikTok,¡± she said.

She added that she was not against some restrictions for state employees who deal with sensitive information, ¡°but this ban sweeps far more broadly¡±.

This is an edited version of a story that first appeared on .