Texas' Ban on TikTok on State-Owned Devices Upheld by Federal Judge

Judge Robert L. Pitman rules the ban is a 'reasonable restriction' in light of concerns about the social media app.

Judge Robert L. Pitman of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas upheld the state's ban on TikTok on official devices and networks, rejecting a challenge brought by The Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University.
The lawsuit argued that the ban, which extends to public universities, was impeding academic freedom and compromising the ability of professors to teach and do research about the social media app.
Judge Pitman noted that public university faculty and state employees maintain the right to use TikTok on their personal devices.
The judge agreed that the ban prevents certain university faculty from using state-provided devices and networks to do research and teach about TikTok, but he also said the ban was a 'reasonable restriction on access to TikTok in light of Texas's concerns.'
Western governments have expressed worries that TikTok, owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, could put sensitive data in the hands of the Chinese government or be used as a tool to spread misinformation.