Politics & Government
Texas faculty challenges state imposed TikTok ban
Legal pushback against Gov. Abbot's TikTok ban
Texas - In an unexpected legal development, a coalition of faculty members from public universities in Texas has initiated a lawsuit against Texas Governor Greg Abbott and his associates.
The cause of contention is the state's forthcoming ban on the extensively popular social media platform, TikTok, on government-issued devices. The plaintiffs argue that this prohibition impedes their academic activities, restricting their ability to utilize the platform for educational and research endeavors.
The lawsuit was filed on Thursday by the reputable Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University. This organization, renowned for its commitment to free speech rights, is representing the Coalition for Independent Technology Research, a group dedicated to advocating for societal impact studies on technology.
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"Banning public university faculty from studying and teaching with TikTok is not a sensible or constitutional response to concerns about data-collection and disinformation," commented Jameel Jaffer, executive director of the Knight First Amendment Institute, in a press statement.
In December, Governor Abbott prohibited the use of TikTok on state-owned or issued devices, including devices within the state university systems. According to Dallas Metro News, at least 20 states have enforced similar restrictions on TikTok on devices provided by a state agency, and many public universities have followed suit on school-owned devices.
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The app, owned by Chinese firm ByteDance, was also disallowed on federal government-owned or issued devices in December 2022, with certain exceptions, due to escalating security concerns over potential Chinese government surveillance via the app.
The platform has been under rigorous examination by federal and state lawmakers. In May, Montana became the first state to forbid TikTok's operation within its jurisdiction. The legislation, set to be effective from Jan. 1, 2024, will also prohibit app stores from offering TikTok in Montana.
The lawsuit brought forth by the Texas faculty is among several legal challenges to the TikTok bans.
Despite federal and state officials' concerns over privacy issues with TikTok, the immensely popular platform continues to aid millions in generating income and gaining popularity.
