Scattered thunderstorms in the morning becoming more widespread in the afternoon. Gusty winds and small hail are possible. High 78F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%..
Thunderstorms during the evening followed by occasional showers overnight. Gusty winds and small hail are possible. Low 59F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
Updated: June 8, 2023 @ 2:07 am
(Update 1/18) – The Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education issued the official directive for the MUS schools on Jan. 17. The office ruled TikTok must be removed from all university-owned devices, TikTok will be blocked on MUS networks and university-administered accounts must be suspended.
Campuses can provide exceptions for education or research. The directive goes into effect on Friday, Jan 20.
The University of Montana plans to comply with a letter from Gov. Greg Gianforte recommending a ban on TikTok use on all campus devices and Wi-Fi networks in the Montana University System.
The letter came two weeks after Gianforte ordered Montana to join 24 other states and the federal government in banning the video-sharing platform on all state networks and state-issued devices on Dec. 16.
Gianforte stated his reasoning behind the TikTok bans involves FBI director Christopher Wray’s comments in December on the Chinese government’s ability to collect users’ data through the app, which is owned by a Chinese company called ByteDance Ltd.
“Using or even downloading TikTok poses a massive security threat,” Gianforte said in his Jan. 3 letter. “Data of TikTok users have been repeatedly accessed by the Chinese Communist Party, and TikTok will not commit to stopping it.”
Kuntz said UM is interpreting the recommendation to mean all UM-affiliated accounts run on campus-issued devices must be taken down, including individual schools’ accounts. However, campus student groups using their own cellular data or devices to post will not be affected, but which accounts it will apply to may change through future conversations with BOR.
Exemptions for students in campus housing may also be discussed down the road for students to be able to access the app through Wi-Fi in their dorms and apartments, according to Kuntz.
“We know this is disruptive and it’s inconvenient. We know how important TikTok and other social media apps are to life on our campus as a student and for life in general for our students,” Kuntz said. “But this is a directive that we received from the state leaders that are put in charge of protecting the state assets, and it’s our responsibility to make sure that we’re following these directives to the best of our ability.”
UM’s CIO Zach Rossmiller said he understands Gianforte’s security concerns because of the app’s ability to track credit card information and its lack of commitment to stopping the Chinese government from collecting U.S. user data.
“I know a lot of leaders at the University don’t agree or disagree with Gianforte’s view, but this certainly isn’t happening in a vacuum,” Kuntz said. “This isn’t something that is uncommon at this point. States are taking this kind of approach for security reasons.”
UM put a pause on posting on its TikTok account or any affiliate accounts in the days after BOR received the letter. Tracy Ellig, vice president of university communications at Montana State University, confirmed MSU will also comply with the Commissioner’s guidance, but said TikTok is not “a significant means of communication by any part of the university.”
MSU’s mascot Champ posted a farewell TikTok on Jan. 12 thanking his fans and asking them to follow the mascot’s Instagram instead.
Rossmiller said IT departments aim to implement the ban within two weeks of the final decision, but estimates his department could integrate the ban in one week.
“There’s quite a bit of legwork that we have to do to prepare for some of this stuff. It’s not like we can just snap our finger and it’s done overnight. It’s taken us some time to prep for everything,” Rossmiller said.
When Rossmiller started as CIO two years ago, there was only one person on UM’s cybersecurity team. Now five members are listed on IT’s website. All of IT’s other teams have also expanded under the department’s workforce improvement plan.
By hiring students to work at the help desk and creating pathways for them to become full time staff, the Missoula department has helped train staff for other state schools like UM Western and Helena College. However, Rossmiller said the ban will require ongoing monitoring to continue blocking the site on changing IP addresses.
“It’s not going to be fun, to be honest, because our help desk is going to get the brunt of all the calls on campus,” Rossmiller said. “I think it’s our responsibility to plan for any scenario, especially if it’s labor intensive. But ultimately, what we’ll do is follow whatever directive the commissioner’s office asks us to do.”
Some questions remain under Gianforte’s current recommendation for the MUS, like if the ban applies to devices purchased by staff and faculty with technology stipends. Christian also told BOR that professors may receive exemptions from the ban to use TikTok for educational purposes in their classrooms, but how IT departments will implement exemptions is unclear.
“When we do get policy directives, rarely do things fall squarely in line right away. I think we all fully expect that there’ll be some gray areas that might need to be defined in the future,” Kuntz said. “If we don’t have uncertainties right away on our campus, I’m sure Bozeman will, or Havre will, or Great Falls will.”
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Noise Complaint is a rotating experimental music project that plays every Friday in downtown Missoula at the “XXXX’s.” Members of the project wanted to stress that they are not a cult, but rather a 501(c)(3) religious organization.