• 133arc585@lemmy.ml
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    1 year ago

    Good point. And it’s not just time wasting, it goes against the point of being in school for education. These apps ruin attention span, erode critical thinking skills, turn beliefs into a popularity contest, contribute to bullying, destroy self-confidence and self-worth, peddle conspiracy theories, and waste time.

    Edit: I want to add that I don’t personally think it should be blocked in colleges. My reasons above apply to younger students; not that I don’t think the app still poses risks to older students in college, but they are permitted to take the risks they wish to take. I do understand the security justification, and if that is the purported reasoning, I think it’s acceptable. In reality, the security angle plus it only being TikTok being targeted is just playing on Sinophobia. If they were serious about it being a security threat, they’d not stop at TikTok.

    • Brocken40@sh.itjust.works
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      1 year ago

      Your missing the point, how can you know that if professionals can’t study it? They are blocking the ability of Texas institutes from studying this!

      • 133arc585@lemmy.ml
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        1 year ago

        Should we let every potentially (or even verifiably) unsafe piece of software to operate freely on government networks? No, we shouldn’t, even if it’s in the name of research. Knowingly running spyware on a government network isn’t a good idea.

        Precautions need to be taken, perhaps via cooperation between network operators and researchers, to assure that having unsafe software on their network is not potentially harmful to other users of the network.

        Also, again, not every college in Texas is a state college. In fact, I think the vast majority aren’t state colleges. They aren’t subject to any of this regulation anyway.

        • Brocken40@sh.itjust.works
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          1 year ago

          On college campus networks yes. How would you have a Java class without allowing unverified software to run on the schools network?

          And just because it’s state schools now we should be extra worried, the Texas gop has been working to systematically disassemble all avenues of public education, the ability of colleges to college needs to be protected

          • 133arc585@lemmy.ml
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            1 year ago

            How would you have a Java class without allowing unverified software to run on the schools network?

            I said unsafe software. I specifically said spyware. If you’re caught running malicious Java code on the network, you’ll be reprimanded. If you’re running known malicious apps by Big (Ad)Tech, you should also be reprimanded.

            And just because it’s state schools now we should be extra worried, the Texas gop has been working to systematically disassemble all avenues of public education

            If they were to completely cut all funding to public education, it’s the state schools that would disappear. Private schools, who already are not affected by this ban, would be fine.

            • Brocken40@sh.itjust.works
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              1 year ago

              Only having private schools is a bad thing.

              the limitation of public schools to perform studies on par with private institutes is bad. It should be prevented to preserve avenues to higher education.

            • albigu@lemmygrad.ml
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              1 year ago

              If you’re running known malicious apps by Big (Ad)Tech, you should also be reprimanded.

              first off that’s not the case right now and there is no proposal in government to do such a thing. Second, what evidence is there that TikTok is capable of being of any harm to the network compared to standard software like M$ Windows or just general bootleg software? If a ban is warranted, which I don’t believe it is, it should be applied properly and not singling out that one app you personally don’t like.