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Tennessee Universities switch off Chinese social media companies on WiFi networks

From News 12: Tennessee Universities have cut students off from TikTok and other foreign based apps after the Governor signed a new law into affec

From News 12: Tennessee Universities have cut students off from TikTok and other foreign based apps after the Governor signed a new law into affect on Thursday.

 

The law prohibits state higher education institutions, like UTC and UTK, from allowing access to social media platforms based in China on their Wi-Fi systems.

 

Students and faculty can still access them on their own internet services.

 

While TikTok is the clear target of lawmakers, the law also applies to other platforms like We-Chat (also Sina Weibo, Tencent QQ, Tencent Video, Xiao HongShu, Douban, Zhihu, Meituan and Toutiao).

 

Lawmakers are concerned that the companies can be forced to turn over personal information, including locations and spending habits, to the Chinese government and miliary.

 

The law goes into effect immediately after the Governor signed it.