{"id":92,"date":"2024-10-24T19:18:33","date_gmt":"2024-10-24T19:18:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/information\/?page_id=92"},"modified":"2026-04-30T16:09:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T16:09:16","slug":"tik-tok-law","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/information\/tik-tok-law\/","title":{"rendered":"Law restricts assess of TikTok, other Chinese platforms on university networks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Governor Bill Lee on April 13, 2023, signed&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/wapp.capitol.tn.gov\/apps\/BillInfo\/Default.aspx?BillNumber=SB0834\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Senate Bill 834\/House Bill 1445<\/a>&nbsp;into law. It prohibits Tennessee public higher education institutions, including Middle Tennessee State University, from allowing access to social media platforms operated or hosted by a company based in China on the institution\u2019s network. The law applies to internet services provided by an institution through a hard-wired or wireless network connection (such as BlueWifi) and became effective upon his signature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The law means that students, faculty, staff and members of the general public will be blocked while using the University\u2019s IT network if they attempt to access TikTok or other social media platforms operated or hosted by a company in China (WeChat, Sina Weibo, Tencent QQ, Tencent Video, Xiao HongShu, Douban, Zhihu, Meituan and Toutiao). The law&nbsp;<strong>does not<\/strong>&nbsp;prohibit students, faculty, staff, or members of the general public from accessing TikTok or other such Chinese social media platforms through individual personal network connection or a third-party network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The law recognizes several key exceptions. It does not apply to institutions or employees of such institutions if downloading, accessing, or using such a social media platform is necessary to perform: (1) law enforcement activities; (2) investigatory functions to carry out official duties for bona fide law enforcement, investigative, or public safety purposes; or (3) audit, compliance, or legal functions of the institution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We have created an FAQ to answer immediate concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-a89b3969 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-accent-1-background-color has-background wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/wapp.capitol.tn.gov\/apps\/BillInfo\/Default.aspx?BillNumber=SB0834\" style=\"border-radius:5px\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">View TikTok Law<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-mtsu-blocks-expandable-block accordion expandable-group expandable-group-lightblock\" id=\"newExpandable\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-mtsu-blocks-expandable-item accordion-item expandable-heading expandable-heading-lightblock\"><h2 class=\"accordion-header\" id=\"headingwhat-apps-are-covered-by-the-law\"><button class=\"accordion-button collapsed\" type=\"button\" data-bs-toggle=\"collapse\" data-bs-target=\"#collapsenewExpandablewhat-apps-are-covered-by-the-law\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"collapsenewExpandablewhat-apps-are-covered-by-the-law\">What apps are covered by the law?<\/button><\/h2><div id=\"collapsenewExpandablewhat-apps-are-covered-by-the-law\" class=\"accordion-collapse collapse expandable-content expandable-content-lightblock\" aria-labelledby=\"headingwhat-apps-are-covered-by-the-law\" data-bs-parent=\"#newExpandable\"><div class=\"accordion-body\">\n<p>TikTok or other social media platforms like WeChat, Sina Weibo, Tencent QQ, Tencent Video, Xiao HongShu, Douban, Zhihu, Meituan and Toutiao that are operated or hosted by a company in China.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-mtsu-blocks-expandable-item accordion-item expandable-heading expandable-heading-lightblock\"><h2 class=\"accordion-header\" id=\"headingwhen-will-the-law-go-into-effect\"><button class=\"accordion-button collapsed\" type=\"button\" data-bs-toggle=\"collapse\" data-bs-target=\"#collapsenewExpandablewhen-will-the-law-go-into-effect\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"collapsenewExpandablewhen-will-the-law-go-into-effect\">When will the law go into effect?<\/button><\/h2><div id=\"collapsenewExpandablewhen-will-the-law-go-into-effect\" class=\"accordion-collapse collapse expandable-content expandable-content-lightblock\" aria-labelledby=\"headingwhen-will-the-law-go-into-effect\" data-bs-parent=\"#newExpandable\"><div class=\"accordion-body\">\n<p>The law went into effect when Governor Lee signed it on April 13, 2023.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-mtsu-blocks-expandable-item accordion-item expandable-heading expandable-heading-lightblock\"><h2 class=\"accordion-header\" id=\"headingcan-i-have-a-personal-tiktok-account-or-do-i-have-to-cancel-it\"><button class=\"accordion-button collapsed\" type=\"button\" data-bs-toggle=\"collapse\" data-bs-target=\"#collapsenewExpandablecan-i-have-a-personal-tiktok-account-or-do-i-have-to-cancel-it\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"collapsenewExpandablecan-i-have-a-personal-tiktok-account-or-do-i-have-to-cancel-it\">Can I have a personal TikTok account or do I have to cancel it?<\/button><\/h2><div id=\"collapsenewExpandablecan-i-have-a-personal-tiktok-account-or-do-i-have-to-cancel-it\" class=\"accordion-collapse collapse expandable-content expandable-content-lightblock\" aria-labelledby=\"headingcan-i-have-a-personal-tiktok-account-or-do-i-have-to-cancel-it\" data-bs-parent=\"#newExpandable\"><div class=\"accordion-body\">\n<p>You can continue to have a TikTok account. You will no longer be able to access it from a university network.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-mtsu-blocks-expandable-item accordion-item expandable-heading expandable-heading-lightblock\"><h2 class=\"accordion-header\" id=\"headingwill-i-get-in-trouble-if-i-use-tiktok-while-on-campus\"><button class=\"accordion-button collapsed\" type=\"button\" data-bs-toggle=\"collapse\" data-bs-target=\"#collapsenewExpandablewill-i-get-in-trouble-if-i-use-tiktok-while-on-campus\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"collapsenewExpandablewill-i-get-in-trouble-if-i-use-tiktok-while-on-campus\">Will I get in trouble if I use TikTok while on campus?<\/button><\/h2><div id=\"collapsenewExpandablewill-i-get-in-trouble-if-i-use-tiktok-while-on-campus\" class=\"accordion-collapse collapse expandable-content expandable-content-lightblock\" aria-labelledby=\"headingwill-i-get-in-trouble-if-i-use-tiktok-while-on-campus\" data-bs-parent=\"#newExpandable\"><div class=\"accordion-body\">\n<p>No. The law&nbsp;<strong>does not<\/strong>&nbsp;prohibit students, faculty, staff or members of the general public from accessing TikTok or other such Chinese social media platforms through an individual\u2019s own personal network connection or a third-party network.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-mtsu-blocks-expandable-item accordion-item expandable-heading expandable-heading-lightblock\"><h2 class=\"accordion-header\" id=\"headingare-there-exemptions-to-the-law\"><button class=\"accordion-button collapsed\" type=\"button\" data-bs-toggle=\"collapse\" data-bs-target=\"#collapsenewExpandableare-there-exemptions-to-the-law\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"collapsenewExpandableare-there-exemptions-to-the-law\">Are there exemptions to the law?<\/button><\/h2><div id=\"collapsenewExpandableare-there-exemptions-to-the-law\" class=\"accordion-collapse collapse expandable-content expandable-content-lightblock\" aria-labelledby=\"headingare-there-exemptions-to-the-law\" data-bs-parent=\"#newExpandable\"><div class=\"accordion-body\">\n<p>The law recognizes several key exceptions. It does not apply to institutions or employees of such institutions if downloading, accessing, or using such a social media platform is necessary to perform: (1) law enforcement activities; (2) investigatory functions to carry out official duties for bona fide law enforcement, investigative, or public safety purposes; or (3) audit, compliance, or legal functions of the institution.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-mtsu-blocks-expandable-item accordion-item expandable-heading expandable-heading-lightblock\"><h2 class=\"accordion-header\" id=\"headinghow-will-you-enforce-this\"><button class=\"accordion-button collapsed\" type=\"button\" data-bs-toggle=\"collapse\" data-bs-target=\"#collapsenewExpandablehow-will-you-enforce-this\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"collapsenewExpandablehow-will-you-enforce-this\">How will you enforce this?<\/button><\/h2><div id=\"collapsenewExpandablehow-will-you-enforce-this\" class=\"accordion-collapse collapse expandable-content expandable-content-lightblock\" aria-labelledby=\"headinghow-will-you-enforce-this\" data-bs-parent=\"#newExpandable\"><div class=\"accordion-body\">\n<p>The enforcement mechanism is seamless and should require nothing on the part of the end user. If they try to access one of the blocked sites while on the University network, the application or the URL will not resolve and they will not be able to connect.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Governor Bill Lee on April 13, 2023, signed&nbsp;Senate Bill 834\/House Bill 1445&nbsp;into law. It prohibits Tennessee public higher education institutions, including Middle Tennessee State University, from allowing access to social media platforms operated or hosted by a company based in China on the institution\u2019s network. The law applies to internet services provided by an institution [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-bannernosidebar.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-92","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/information\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/92","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/information\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/information\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/information\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/information\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=92"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/information\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/92\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":346,"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/information\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/92\/revisions\/346"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/information\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=92"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}