Universities of Applied Sciences want to get rid of TikTok

Universities of Applied Sciences must stop using TikTok, according to the national association VH. Hanze UAS will follow that advice as soon as possible.

The Dutch Association of Universities of Applied Sciences (VH) advises its members to stop using TikTok because the privacy and security risks of this popular media platform are too big. ‘It does not align with our public values’, the VH spokesperson stated on April 15. ‘The universities of applied sciences are looking into how they can carefully phase out TikTok. A number of institutions still have projects and campaigns running on the platform, so that requires some coordination.’

Hanze will certainly follow the advice, says Hanze spokesperson Evanya Breuer. ‘We hardly used TikTok anyway. Actually, only to reach some specific international prospective students. We want to have alternatives for that as soon as possible, hopefully before September 1.’

The advice from the Association of Universities of Applied Sciences obviously does not apply to students and staff themselves. They are allowed to decide for themselves whether they want to (continue to) use TikTok.

The advice also does not apply to independent university media outlets (such as HanzeMag), the VH spokesperson stated when asked on April 16. ‘It is a broad recommendation, solely aimed at the communications of the universities of applied sciences themselves. When universities use TikTok to recruit new students, for instance, they will therefore likely stop doing so. In that case they need to  choose an appropriate moment for this.’

UNL, the umbrella organisation of research universities, states they don’t provide any advice regarding the use of TikTok. ‘It is up to the individual universities to decide whether or not to use it.’

As for TikTok, it’s not the first time the Chinese platform has come under fire in higher education. Three years ago, Saxion University of Applied Sciences asked its employees not to use the TikTok app on work phones. Erasmus University also strongly advised employees to delete the app due to an increased espionage risk.

TikTok shares personal data with China. Technically, this is not allowed under European privacy regulations. The Dutch Data Protection Authority has been warning about this for some time and calls on organizations to think carefully about the use of the platform.

VH does not provide advice regarding American tech companies, such as Meta (with the popular social media platform Instagram). The VH spokesperson: ‘These companies are open to agreements regarding privacy, that is the difference with TikTok.’

HOP, Naomi Bergshoeff (Hanze-related additions: Boudewijn Otten)
Illustration: Yateesha van Loon