On Dec. 7, Governor Abbott issued an order to all state agencies in Texas banning the use of the social media platform TikTok on state networks and state-issued devices. Viewed as a national security threat, this ban was implemented to help protect against unauthorized access to critical U.S. infrastructure and information.

As a first step, Texas A&M University blocked TikTok access and usage from all university-owned devices, including cell phones, laptops, tablets and desktop computers, and began making plans to block network traffic.

Effective Jan. 18, 2023, the university will block TikTok access on all Texas A&M University networks. TikTok will no longer be accessible by users on any device when connected to a university network via wired or WiFi networks at all locations, including remote and branch campuses.

The protection and security of our enterprise assets, information and intellectual property is always a top priority. As we receive additional guidance as part of the governor’s directive, we will update our response plan and communicate any resulting changes.