A group of college professors reportedly sued Texas on Thursday for banning TikTok on state-issued devices and state networks.
The plaintiffs claimed that the prohibition has negatively impacted their capacity to educate students and study one of the most widely used apps.
Professors Sued Texas for Banning TikTok
The lawsuit, claiming Texas violates the First Amendment, was filed by The Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University on behalf of the academic research advocacy group, Coalition for Independent Technology Research, whose members include the Texas professors.
The professors noted that their work was compromised after they lost access to TikTok on university-issued computers and campus Wi-Fi.
They said this ban not only hampers their ability to conduct research and teach effectively but also obstructs their ability to explore topics directly related to TikTok, Engadget reported. That includes analyzing disinformation and data-gathering methods that the prohibition claims to address.
The professors explained that the ban's scope extends to faculty mobile devices and campus Wi-Fi networks, resulting in an abrupt halt on ongoing research projects related to TikTok.
Washington Post reported that the professors involved in the lawsuit named Texas Governor Gregg Abbott and other state officials as defendants.
Executive Director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, Jameel Jaffer, filed the suit on behalf of the coalition and told The Washington Post that the ban on the platform is not a sensible or constitutional response to the critics.
"There are other ways to address those concerns that don't impose the same severe burden on faculty and researchers' First Amendment rights... (And their) ability to continue studying what has, like it or not, become a hugely popular and influential communications platform." he said.
The Coalition for Independent Technology Research was established in 2022 in response to an incident involving two researchers from New York University. These researchers had their accounts disabled by Facebook after conducting a study on the dissemination of disinformation on the platform.
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Affecting College Students
The lawsuit cited the case of Jacqueline Vickery, associate professor in the Department of Media Arts at the University of North Texas, who studies and teaches how people use social media for expression and political organizing. Her courses include "Media in a Global Pandemic" and "Digital Media & Society."
"The ban has forced her to suspend research projects and change her research agenda, alter her teaching methodology, and eliminate course materials," the complaint noted.
The prohibition has reportedly undermined Vickery's ability to respond to questions from students and review other researchers' work, like the peer-review process.
The lawsuit claimed that Texas' ban on TikTok at state institutions is "unconstitutional," hinders academic freedom, and violates the First Amendment. College students and faculty members across the country have criticized the campus bans.
CNN reported that the professors argued that these bans unfairly target a wildly popular app, particularly among the younger demographic, which serves as a prominent platform for entertainment and exchanging ideas regarding current affairs.
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