University of Tennessee cuts off access to TikTok on Wi-Fi to comply with new law

Keenan Thomas, Knoxville News Sentinel
Updated ·1 min read

TikTok is no longer accessible through Wi-Fi provided by the University of Tennessee at Knoxville since Gov. Bill Lee signed a bill this week banning certain apps from Tennessee campus internet connections.

Lawmakers agreed to prohibit access to apps and platforms that are hosted or originated from China on the state's public higher education internet connections. TikTok is now banned on UT networks, as it is on many other state and federal government-owned internet connections and devices.

Other apps like WeChat, Sina Weibo, Tencent QQ, Tencent Video, Xiao HongShu, Douban, Zhihu, Meituan and Toutiao are also prohibited, according to an email to students from Ramon Padilla, UT's CIO and vice chancellor for IT and innovation.

But the apps aren't fully banned on campus. Students, faculty and visitors can still use TikTok and the other apps on campus through their own personal cellular plans or Wi-Fi connections.

There are some exceptions that allow users to access the apps on campus Wi-Fi, specifically those who use the apps for:

  • Law enforcement purposes

  • Investigative purposes

  • Audit, compliance or legal functions for the institution

Tennessee joins a list of states that have banned apps like TikTok on campuses including universities in Texas, Oklahoma and Georgia.

Keenan Thomas is a higher education reporter. Email keenan.thomas@knoxnews.com. Twitter @specialk2real.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: University of Tennessee cuts off access to TikTok to comply with law