While the University of Mississippi has banned students from using TikTok on university Wi-Fi networks, university-affiliated accounts continue to share content on the app.
Senate Bill 2140, also known as the National Security on State Devices and Networks Act, took effect on July 1. The ban states that TikTok and any app owned by its parent company, ByteDance, are banned from state-issued devices and state-operated networks.
The ban is in response to privacy concerns arising nationwide. Gov. Tate Reeves has openly expressed distrust for the app, claiming that the Chinese government is using it for espionage.
“It’s no secret that the Chinese Communist Party is actively trying to steal U.S. intellectual property and Americans’ personal information,” Reeves said in a January post on X. “It’s a major threat to our national security and critical infrastructure, costs the U.S. economy hundreds of billions annually and jeopardizes American jobs.”
While UM asserts that it complies with the ban, TikTok pages such as @olemiss and @olemissfootball post videos and photos on the app almost daily.
“University-owned accounts are not exempt and continue to comply with the state law. The only exception that affects the university is if UPD needs to access the platform in the course of an investigation,” the university’s Director of News and Media Relations Jacob Batte said.
The Daily Mississippian asked Batte how the university could be in compliance with the law while simultaneously posting on TikTok. Batte reiterated that the university was in compliance with state law.
Clay Pounds from UM’s IT Helpdesk explained the ban and how it affects UM.
“With the passage of Senate Bill 2140 (SB2140), the Mississippi state legislature appointed the Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services to create and maintain a list of prohibited technologies,” Pounds said. “The University of Mississippi’s network falls under the ‘state-operated networks’ definition in SB2140, which is why we must block the applications and vendors on the ITS-prohibited technologies list on our network.”
Pounds reiterated that the ban comes from a desire for greater national security.
“The legislature’s concern seems to be with the parent company ByteDance sharing collected user data and information with the Chinese government,” Pounds said.
A message issued to the university community on Aug. 29 lists all 18 prohibited technologies and companies, all but two of which are Chinese-owned.
Many students still utilize TikTok as part of their daily routine despite the ban on school Wi-Fi.
“I use TikTok every day,” junior journalism major Campbell Holmes said. “My friends tell me I’m very much obsessed with the app, because I get on it at least 10 times a day.”
Students simply disconnect from school Wi-Fi to use the app.
“The ban hasn’t affected me that much, because I will just turn the Wi-Fioff on my phone when I want to use it, but when I first heard about the ban, I was not happy,” Holmes said.
Although some students feel unaffected by the ban, the Ole Miss Esports team has reported experiencing tangible consequences. The ban limited the play of popular competitive games such as Valorant and League of Legends, both owned by the banned Chinese company Tencent.
“I understand that Ole Miss is the flagship university of the state of Mississippi, but programs like ours shouldn’t have to suffer while other schools’ programs don’t have to deal with the ban like we do,” Head of Public Relations for UM Esports Noah Omer said.
John McDermott, director of the Esports program at UM, did not respond to a request for comment. In an interview with The Reflector, Mississippi State University’s student newspaper, he detailed the UM team’s plans to compete in compliance with state law.
“It’s very disappointing that our students, who have demonstrated remarkable success on a national stage, have had their seasons interrupted by factors beyond their control,” McDermott said. “We will continue to compete in these games and are actively exploring options that allow us to do so that comply with state law.”
