TikTok Ban Impacting the University Research Community

In June, the U.S. government issued a new interim Federal Acquisition Regulation clause (FAR) for federal contracts that prohibits the presence or use of the social networking service TikTok or any successor application or service developed or provided by ByteDance.

This new interim rule is intended to safeguard the security and integrity of federally funded research due to ongoing security concerns about TikTok. The federal government issued an executive order to remove TikTok from federal devices in February, and Arizona Governor Hobbs issued a similar executive order for Arizona state agencies in April.

Action Required

All University-related persons participating in government contracts must comply with the new interim FAR clause which prohibits the installation and use of TikTok and other ByteDance applications on a cellphone, computer, or other device used in the performance of federal contract work. This applies to any:

• University-issued personal computing device.
• Non-university issued personal computing device used “to a significant extent” in conducting FAR-covered research.
• Device being used while traveling to China.

Please note: UITS has blocked the use of TikTok and ByteDance applications within the university-controlled research environment and removed them from computing devices managed by UITS. In addition, UITS is working with IT staff across campus to ensure these applications are removed from all university-managed devices.  

Exemptions and Support 

• Questions about compliance with the FAR clause: email Office of Research Contracts at contracting@arizona.edu or Health Sciences Research Administration Contracts Office at UAHSContracts@arizona.edu.
• To submit an exception to use TikTok and/or ByteDance applications for academic research purposes: email the Office of Research Contracts at contracting@arizona.edu.
• For assistance with removing TikTok and other ByteDance applications from your device(s): contact the 24/7 Support Center.