Federal judge upholds Texas’ TikTok ban on state-owned devices

A federal judge in Texas upheld the state’s TikTok ban on official devices and networks, rejecting a challenge brought by an organization that claimed the restrictions violated the First Amendment. The lawsuit, filed in July by The Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, had argued the ban on official devices – which extends to public universities – was impeding academic freedom and compromising on the ability of professors to teach and do research about the social media app. The Knight Institute brought the complaint on behalf of Coalition for Independent Technology Research, a group of academics and researchers who study technology’s impact on society.