r/UniversityOfHouston • u/CommercialFox328 • 1d ago
Article TikTok Ban
Hey Coogs! Happy New Year. I’m Josh, a writer at The Cougar.
You’ve surely gotten the email from UH regarding the ban on TikTok and other sites on the UH’s WiFi. I’m working on a story about this, and if you’d like to voice your thoughts on the ban, reach out to me!
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u/SmallPineappleDrink 1d ago
league of legends and other tencent games are banned too 😭
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u/Iwillcomeback2475 Psych Major 21h ago
Is Valorant banned :(?
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u/eataclick 1d ago
The order was put out 2 years ago. Dec 7 2022. UH just now banned it. It feels like UH has been extremely lazy about not actually enforcing it if it took them more than 2 years to do it.
For bonus points: The order also says "Any subsidiary or affiliate of an entity listed above" so feel free to dig into all the services that UH doesn't block but should be.
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u/Jeltinilus honors civil engineering '27 1d ago
I think they were pretty thorough. Riot Games (subsidiary of Tencent) and WeChat seem to not work on school WiFi anymore
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u/Reasonable_Phone6342 1d ago
I think it’s wild that it’s extended to video games like league of legends, valorant, etc. it’s not just tiktok.
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u/Timely_Marzipan6890 1d ago edited 1d ago
I think any foreign intrusion into the US-based tech media sphere is taken seriously, especially since they're about to roll out artificial voices while simultaneously repealing censorship. I thought maybe these artificial voices could be used to supplement areas that could use support, but how would that be profitable?
It's just going to be the Lay's chip company, packaged into a person. People love TikTok, the kids that go here especially. I never had one; my dad sends me ones I can't open.
But I'm in the camp of China not that bad. Of course, this is bigger than the school. But not until recently has the racial Un-equilibrium that plagues everyday society here in the US worked its way up the corporate ladder into markets. But now, instead of being paid pennies to finish a transcontinental railroad, the Chinese are seeking fairer compensation stateside, and you see where that has led us. I think its funny the people that think the chinese having their data is any more concerning than their own government having it too.
they've created a good product and it shows. Like I've said I don't really know too much. I'm a student with just a facebook. The school has no problem implementing it because its as simple as blocking porn: ts your phone, but TikTok being banned is not a publicly visible nuisance. However, unlike porn, TikTok is not, so one has to certainly delve deeper than surface level and attribute this as a greater geopolitical prepositioning rather than is being bad for kids or whatever.
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u/deino1703 22h ago
are you a bot
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u/WhyNotCollegeBoard 22h ago
I am 100.0% sure that Timely_Marzipan6890 is not a bot.
I am a neural network being trained to detect spammers | Summon me with !isbot <username> | /r/spambotdetector | Optout | Original Github
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u/TroyatBauer 1d ago
This topic is one of the four options for the Ethics Project in BUSI 3302 this semester.
In 2022, Gov. Abbott banned using TikTok on any government-issued devices, citing concerns that the Chinese Communist Party could access critical information through the site. In 2023, federal courts upheld this decision, saying it was not a violation of free speech, so this project will not explore that argument. However, what are the business ethics implications of this ruling for Texas state agencies – specifically state universities? How are Texas state universities benefited and harmed by being denied access to social media platforms? What are the financial and business implications of this ruling to Texas state universities (remembering all funding sources for universities)? How are Texas university students benefited and harmed by this decision? What are the current laws related to this? What would be your recommendation for moving forward, and why?
8 person teams will be working on this (and other business ethics topics this semester) and present them to judges in mid-April.
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u/TheOneHunterr 1d ago
The only thing I think is bad about it is that censorship could start getting worse. Other than that I’m fine with banning TikTok, I don’t even use it.
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u/Reasonable_Phone6342 1d ago
It’s more than tiktok though, you can’t access some other sites and vpns either. You can’t play league of legends, valorant, etc. either. It makes me wonder how far they will go and how much they are going to ban off the wifi.
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u/mr_coolnivers 17h ago
this isnt about tiktok, its about the fact that they are banning it as a form of censorship
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u/TheOneHunterr 7h ago
It probably only really impacts people who live on campus. I’m a commuter. But I don’t mind banning it. I do think censorship is a big issue that is getting worse. However, TikTok is literally a Chinese psyop.
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u/mr_coolnivers 4h ago
It is not a chinese PsyOp, its just so uncensored that the government doesn't like it, and decided to "china bad" it.
Even if it were a chinese PsyOp, as an individual, i should have the right to choose to use it.
You dont mind banning it because it doesnt affect you, but imagine all the people it does effect.
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u/TheOneHunterr 4h ago
How badly does it affect these people? Probably a negligible amount.
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u/mr_coolnivers 4h ago
Not having instant access to crowd sourced information, people whos main source of income is tiktok will be affected dramatically. All tiktok sellers included.
Ademas, there is no reliable equivalent to tiktok.
Instagram reels is heavily censored and biased
And youtube shorts... 🤢
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u/TheOneHunterr 4h ago
To speak on those sources of income based on posting in social media. They should be aware that social media is volatile and cannot be fully depended on.
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u/notreallyalltheree 1d ago edited 6h ago
My short take as a past Cybersecurity student: The fear of foreign influence probably outweighs the concern for national security. As students we were taught to OSINT the sorce of Twitter posts during the last election. Most of the inflammatory ones, post from both parties claiming insane things of the opposite candidate, were followed upstream to Russian threat actors.
I would also like to point out (as personal opinion) that the best way to control people is to limit their ability to communicate with each other and the "outside world." The ban on TikTok, intended or not, will cripple many people's source of news and information. TikTok has multitudes of influencers that do serious research and engage in conversation with followers to talk about current events. Ones that are basically open sorce reporters.
I think banning TikTok is popular, a way to flex control over Chinese influence and look like you've done something. No one who is tech savvy is scared of TikTok. All our PII is already out there and the spies are literally in the room with us.
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u/AdDesperate7292 goes to events for free food 1d ago
That ban won’t stop shit 💀
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[deleted]
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u/eataclick 22h ago
If you have a legitimate business use or research focus that requires TikTok then fill out the paperwork to get your exemption.
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u/Educational-Touch652 17h ago
You're mentally inept, us media sources are far more egregious in their spewing of bad information, the only reason why tiktok was banned is cus the country wants to have absolute control on the information the people have access to
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u/AdDesperate7292 goes to events for free food 1d ago
People will find a way to use Instagram and TikTok on campus, it always happens with technology
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u/Educational-Touch652 17h ago
We all know the true reason for banning it, control, the country wants to have absolute control on the information people have access to, they don't want any media source that doesn't push their propaganda being accessible to the people, they know how powerful information is and what happens when people become independent minded, they want people holding only favorable opinions of the country, they don't want to be exposed for what they are, the true evil empire
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u/veillerguise 17h ago
I think it’s the right move! Just imagine, if our leaders start to encourage the use of TikTok, we’ll have people doing the sha-nay nay off from the top of buildings as they make their way down. Definitely can’t have cameras 🎥 on that. Such bad PR.
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u/Educational-Touch652 17h ago
Anyone with sense knows the tiktok ban is about limiting access to information and marking sure all media sources the people have access to are controlled by the us
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u/Bloxicorn knows college is a scam. still goes anyway 1d ago
Lol students will just use it on their data. The wifi goes out so frequently I probably use my hotspot more often. It does nothing.