Effective Jan. 20, the Montana Commissioner’s Directive has banned Tik Tok, the 1 billion user app, from being downloaded on Montana University devices, along with the use of Tik Tok through their networks.

Tik Tok has become one of the most widely used apps in the world today, and social media, a constantly snowballing industry, has led the academic world into a loss of direction. Consistently, social media has been a prevalent part of culture for years, however Tik Tok, the Chinese owned app, has proven a controversial topic among lawmakers and educators.
In Montana, Governor Gianforte has pushed for a total ban of Tik Tok on state devices and networks, and specifically on Montana University Campuses. According to a memo written to the Board of Regents by Gianforte, the issue stems from the overall security risk of state institutions using Tik Tok. Coming after recent comments by FBI director Christopher Wray, where he said, “We do have security concerns at least from the FBI’s end about Tik Tok,” Gianforte prompted action through his letter. 

Despite the denial from Bytedance (Tik Tok’s parent company) of any allegations that accuse the Chinese government of taking data from users, Tiktok is still being banned in several state institutions. The Montana University System has also banned the use of the app on their campuses. 

Despite this, the disruption seems minimal to the university system. University of Montana President Seth Bodner said, “This decision has been largely accepted by both UM students and staff.  Students are still able to access TikTok, as long as they are using data or a wireless network that is not associated with UM.”

The University of Montana is following suit to a number of other schools that have banned Tik Tok on campuses. Bodner said, “The order directed at TikTok is similar to other actions states across the country have taken.” So far, at least 20 other states have banned the use of Tik Tok within their university systems. 

Tik Tok in general has been a catalyst for conversation surrounding social media’s uses in professional settings. “While we acknowledge that there are of course potential downsides with the advent of new technology (including social media), there are multiple ways that social media apps have made a positive impact on academic institutions like UM,” said Bodner.