this post was submitted on 13 Sep 2023
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We’ve noted a few times how the political push to ban TikTok is a dumb performance largely designed to distract people from our failure to pass even a basic internet privacy law or regulate data brokers. We’ve also noted how college bans of TikTok are a dumb extension of that dumb performance, and don’t accomplish anything of meaningful significance.

When the college bans first emerged we noted they’d be trivial to bypass, given the bans only apply to the actual college network. They obviously don’t apply to personal student use over cellular networks. And, not surprisingly, students are finding it extremely easy to bypass the bans, either by simply turning off Wi-Fi when they want to access the social network, or using a VPN:

“The student body, quietly, in unison, added Wi-Fi toggling to their daily routine. “Everyone was so nonchalant about it,” Pablo says. “They really just did not care.”

“There wasn’t a whole lot of pushback, aside from a lot of grumbling and groans,” says Ana Renfroe, a sophomore at Texas A&M. Some of her professors are still showing TikToks in class. They’ll just ask students to download the videos at home she explains, or will upload them to another platform like Instagram Reels.”

The folks who spent several years hyperventilating about how TikTok was some unique threat to the public (on an internet where countless international companies, ISPs, app makers, and data brokers over-collect and fail to secure consumer data) are, of course, nowhere to be found.

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[–] [email protected] 53 points 1 year ago (3 children)

But now the college’s IT/security team doesn’t have to deal with that particular piece of spyware on their network, which is a step in the right direction.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 1 year ago

This is like putting a bandaid on a hatchet wound. We need actual data ownership laws in this country.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

This doesn't stop that at all. It just wouldn't be able to send it to TikTok's servers while connected to the network, but that doesn't necessarily stop it from collecting shit.

Besides, if they wanted to 'spy' on universities, the ones that banned it almost certainly weren't the targets, and there's more effective ways to get important data like having stuff on people's laptops.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

It DOES stop that on a college network level. Maybe not per the individual… but that’s not the point anyway. The college/university doesn’t care that their students use the app. It cares that you are using it on their servers/devices because they view it as a vulnerability to their network.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

They can literally just approach any US based social media and pay to access their data.

If there is a threat it is Tiktok dumbing down people who use it. The amount of misinformation is staggering not to mention getting it users addicted to quick meaningless videos.

I cringe everytime I see Tiktok or Youtube shorts. It is like they are designed for goldfish brains to watch with no long-term memory or critical thinking whatsoever.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Except it doesn't? Any of the things TikTok would do it can still do when it reconnects to another Wifi network, or the cellular service, location tracking, etc. It's not like TikTok is a worm that stays on a network – it records data more than uploads it.

[–] [email protected] 51 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Im pretty sure the point was to never ban it outright, it was to remove tiktok from the managed networks, which it has done extremely well.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I mean, kids aren’t stupid.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

They will become stupid by tirelessly watching stupid people doing stupid things on TikTok/YouTube.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

While that is true, it is also important to recognize that there is a ton of good informational content on YouTube. It's a haven for engineers of all types, from rocketry, to electrical, to public works, and many many more.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

In general, yes—but we’re talking about kids going out of their way to get on TikTok.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago
[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

TikToks and Reels in class? At the university? Jfc am I glad I already graduated.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Uhh, were those bans ever about students using it? Pretty sure it was about staff using it on university computers...