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UT-Austin blocks access to TikTok on campus Wi-Fi networks

texastribune.org

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Re: UT-Austin blocks access to TikTok on campus Wi-Fi networks

#91

Post by seanmcdirmid »

mybhslaptop wrote: post #3

High schoolers are used to having VPNs for school, time for college students to do that too. Especially since on-campus students have to live with managed WiFi in dorms too. It's unfortunate to see this political censorship affect grown adults who can make their own decisions - but just happen to be at a state university.

> High schoolers are used to having VPNs for school

I'm pretty sure most college students browse TikTok via their phones using mobile data. I'm not sure many will even notice it is blocked.

Re: UT-Austin blocks access to TikTok on campus Wi-Fi networks

#92

Post by ALittleLight »

bena wrote: post #70
CamperBob2 wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why shouldn't it be up to the user? Who asked the government? This is not how the Internet was supposed to work.

Would you rather know if it was up to the government or not know? Because the case with TikTok is that we do not know what the Chinese government is going to do with whatever it collects from the app. Or even if they do. Or anything really. Now, while I think banning TikTok's traffic on the campus network is more of a stunt than anything worthwhile. I do see the argument from banning TikTok and just about any other n…

If you don't like TikTok or are concerned about the Chinese government collecting information on you, those are excellent reasons for you not to use TikTok. But what do your preferences have to do with the freedom of other people?

Re: UT-Austin blocks access to TikTok on campus Wi-Fi networks

#93

Post by flappyeagle »

tarotuser wrote: post #60
throwaway29812 wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Citing the very real and horrible history of ethnic discrimination to dismiss valid criticism of an authoritarian state is odd. It's also exactly what the CCP does. https://twitter.com/nathanlawkc/status/1464891227694850049 https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/stopasianhate-chinese-dias...

I'm not sure what you're trying to get at. Looking narrowly at Tiktok, it doesn't really capture any more than what Google/Facebook/Instagram/Twitter/Linkedin all would. And regulators and orgs are OK with those systems hoovering up all the data they can. But when Tiktok showed up, it's the "China Restaurant Syndrome" all over again, with breathless scares about the evil Chinese stealing our data! Yes, China is a com…

I would be more sympathetic to this line of argument if the CCP weren't currently banning every single US-based social network.

Reciprocation is the only sensible response. This shouldn't be about race, or even data. It should be about trade policy.

Re: UT-Austin blocks access to TikTok on campus Wi-Fi networks

#95

Post by 1MachineElf »

tarotuser wrote: post #13
VLM wrote: post #7

The new satanic panic.

[flagged]

Fact #1: Certain dishes from specific Cantonese and Vietnamese restaurants will reliably give me a migraine and induce sleepiness.

Fact #2: The existence of Fact #1 does not make me a racist.

Everyone in the food industry invested in savory food has a motive for tainting safety research on MSG. It happened with the sugar industry [0]. Unlike sugar, MSG can hide behind lots of alternative names, like yeast extract, natural flavors, etc. so the truth is easier to obfuscate.

[0] https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/09/13/493739074...

Re: UT-Austin blocks access to TikTok on campus Wi-Fi networks

#96

Post by gnicholas »

kube-system wrote: post #54
dylan604 wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was wondering if LTE was also blocked for some reason causing everyone that be forced to use WiFi. Clearly, that's not the case. Are people unable to make the logical jump that WiFi isn't needed on mobile? Even so, that still meet's whatever UT's goal is that it's not on their network. Edit: clearly, the sarcasm intended in wondering if someone was blocking LTE wasn't self-evident. Followed immediately by "Clearly…

UT-Austin doesn't operate commercial cell phone service, and jamming cell phone service is illegal.

> jamming cell phone service is illegal.

My local Macy's has found a workaround: thick walls. Ain't no way you're checking the price on Amazon inside their four walls!

Re: UT-Austin blocks access to TikTok on campus Wi-Fi networks

#98

Post by gnicholas »

kube-system wrote: post #9
mybhslaptop wrote: post #3

High schoolers are used to having VPNs for school, time for college students to do that too. Especially since on-campus students have to live with managed WiFi in dorms too. It's unfortunate to see this political censorship affect grown adults who can make their own decisions - but just happen to be at a state university.

Or they can just toggle the wifi on their phone. When I was in school, wifi wasn't provided and you were prohibited from bringing your own AP. And there were plenty of applications being firewalled.

I've never used TikTok, but I understand some people use it for an hour or two daily. What would be the impact on your mobile data with that kind of usage? Some kids might be on unlimited plans, but those who aren't might be hesitant to run up their bill.

Re: UT-Austin blocks access to TikTok on campus Wi-Fi networks

#99

Post by klyrs »

AdmiralAsshat wrote: post #44
guessbest wrote: post #15

> In a statement, a representative from TikTok said they are disappointed by the news. > "We're disappointed that so many states are jumping on the political bandwagon to enact policies that will do nothing to advance cybersecurity in their states and are based on unfounded falsehoods about TikTok," spokesperson Jamal Brown wrote. Regardless of you stance on Texas and Texans and politics, the above is a pretty funny…

Obviously someone should've just hosted right-wing talking heads on TikTok so that UT-Austin could be sued under Texas' own anti-censorship law: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2021/09/texas-bans-onlin...

> ...should've just hosted right-wing talking heads on TikTok...

That's already a thing... https://mashable.com/article/tiktok-recommendations-far-righ...

Re: UT-Austin blocks access to TikTok on campus Wi-Fi networks

#100

Post by dotnet00 »

rchaud wrote: post #73
jrexilius wrote: post #14

A good, albeit somewhat impotent, move. The companies wont yank it from the app stores in the US for fear of reprisal, but that is the better next step.

On what grounds would Apple/Google remove it from their app stores? Did they remove Facebook after it was fined $5bn by the FTC for privacy breaches?

As if they've ever needed valid grounds to remove other less influential apps
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