USC to restrict TikTok on certain devices, complying with federal ban
By DAILY TROJAN NEWS STAFF
Effective July 28, USC faculty and staff will no longer be allowed to access TikTok on devices issued by the University or federal government that are used “in support of federal contracts,” the University announced in a memorandum Thursday.
The newly imposed restrictions, issued to comply with the No TikTok on Government Devices Act passed in December, would ban the download and use of TikTok and the enterprise collaboration platform Lark, both owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. Personal devices used for federally sponsored contracts are also subject to the new policy.
The move follows mounting concerns at the federal and state level that TikTok — and, by extension, ByteDance — was harvesting and sharing users’ personal data, culminating in federal and state bans of the app on government-issued devices, and CEO Shou Zi Chew testifying before Congress in March.
Research requiring use of TikTok on affected devices could qualify as exempt, the memorandum read, but would have to go through the Office of Culture, Ethics and Compliance for guidance and approval.
Read the full memorandum:
