State Press Play: ASU's New Tiktok Policy, Explained

New Arizona State University policy will prohibit Tik Tok access on will ASU-managed devices, according to a university spokesperson. Plus, Mirabella at ASU reached an agreement with Shady Park, and we recap the Sun Devil softball team's up-and-down season.

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State Press podcast transcripts are produced by a third-party transcription service and may contain errors. The official record for State Press podcasts is the audio.

Naomi Dubovis: 

Hi there. This is Naomi Dubovis. 

Audrey Sadlier: 

And I'm Audrey Sadlier. 

Naomi Dubovis: 

You're listening to State Press Play. 

Naomi Dubovis: 

This week we're covering ASU's new TikTok policy. Plus Mirabella at ASU. Tempe has finally reached an agreement with Shady Park and ASU softball scored a PAC-12 win. 

Audrey Sadlier: 

We've got all this and more for you this week. Tune in for the ASU community's top stories every Wednesday, right here, right now.

Naomi Dubovis: 

An ASU spokesperson confirmed Monday that TikTok is banned from University managed electronic devices. State Press Digital editor-in-Chief Piper Hansen is here with us today to talk about what this means for the univers. And a State Press scoop. Piper, thanks for being here. 

Piper Hansen: 

Yeah, thanks for having me. 

Naomi Dubovis: 

So, TikTok has been a point of focus in the news cycle amid privacy concerns and accusations of unethical practices. So how did we get from nationwide scrutiny to a ban from the university? 

Piper Hansen: 

The university's ban is in compliance with a federal memorandum that was passed in late February. That gave federal contractors about a month to comply with saying that agencies have to identify the presence of the app and then remove and disallow any installation of it afterward. There were a couple other things in there too, but that's sort of the main points. And there are exemptions, but um, the university kind of falls under the has to follow group. Um, so they were in compliance with a memorandum that. Trying to put an in to use of the app. 

Audrey Sadlier: 

And what's meant by an ASU managed device?

Piper Hansen: 

I am still kind of trying to nail down the details on exactly what that means, but any computers that are loaned out to students, there's a program for that. Any like laptop or desktop computer that is in a library or a school, like in the Cronkite school, we have computer labs basically in every classroom. All of those are ASU managed devices. So all of those count you can. Use TikTok. You can't download TikTok on those computers and devices, or I guess accounts that are linked to ASU have already been removed also. So it's not just ASU managed devices, but it's also ASU related, like accounts. So the Cronkite School account, the ASU account, all of those have been either deactivated or deleted at this point.

Naomi Dubovis: 

So State Press was the first to break the story. Very exciting. Um, can you tell us about that process? 

Piper Hansen: 

Yeah, so I was in class, we were kind of riffing a bit, um, when I kind of heard about, um, what was going on. And so had a couple of reporters reach out to spokespeople. Um, we got an official statement and we went ahead and tweeted that out from the State press account. And then it was a couple of hours later that they didn't walk back their statement, but, um, they had released the statement that we sort of put. At the beginning prematurely, basically because they had their wires crossed. There was a miscommunication on their part. So it was just due to human error on the, you know, from university media relations. They sent us that statement, which had included an incorrect statement about whether or not networks would be. Halting use of TikTok, which would basically mean that you can't go on TikTok on ASU wifi, which isn't true. It's just you can't use the app on ASU managed devices. 

Naomi Dubovis: 

What's the rationale behind having only ASU managed devices rather than just having a blanket ban over any device on an ASU wifi network?

Audrey Sadlier: 

I mean, It's in the memorandum, what exactly is supposed to happen. Um, but it basically allows students to still be able to use TikTok on their own personal devices. So it doesn't interfere with any student use of the app. It's just, if it's an ASU managed device, you can't use it. Um, so. They still want to have students have the ability to access it on their own devices and while connected to the ASU network, because there's nothing in the memorandum and students aren't federal contractors or federal agencies or part of that, so they don't need to follow that rule.

Naomi Dubovis: 

Wait, just out of curiosity, if you are employed with ASU, but you're also a student, Would you fit in that category of a federal employee and. Would you still be able to use TikTok in that case? 

Piper Hansen: 

Technically yes. But because the ban isn't on ASU networks, it doesn't really apply. So if you are using an ASU managed device, like you're filming a TikTok for the ASU TikTok account using an ASU iPhone or an ASU iPad, like you can't do that anymore. But it's unclear right now if students are allowed to, on their own device, make content. For like an ASU affiliated thing. Um, they did clarify. Like at the State Press, we have a TikTok account. We are a journalism entity that's independent of the university. We use all of our own devices to make our content. The only thing we really use is ASU space and ASU wifi, and we are still allowed to use TikTok and any other student clubs like, you know, young dims. I think they have a TikTok account. Um, any other like clubs and student organizations, they're still allowed to use TikTok. It's just you can't do it on an ASU managed device. And you can't post or use or have accounts that are branded as like the university. 

Audrey Sadlier: 

What do you think this means for the ASU brand in general? 

Piper Hansen: 

That is a question I'm still kind of waiting to hear on. Um, because, you know, I know from a, you know, journalist perspective that, uh, TikTok can be a really super powerful tool to get information out and to actually like have a brand. The, you know, schools have very specific messaging that they're trying to have. I saw in ASU Library's TikTok the other day, it was like the very first ASU library's TikTok I ever saw. And it was so cute and it just, I think it's gonna be, Very difficult for incoming students to kind of like get an inside look of what the campus is gonna look like and what it's gonna be, because that's kind of what ASU was marketing. Its tos to be like, and now that that's not there, I'm sure that they're a little bit worried about that. Again, I don't know what they're pivoting to if they took all of their, you know, tos and are gonna put them on Instagram reels or find another social media. Or continue to make videos in another capacity that kind of fills that hole. But I think no longer being allowed to use TikTok is a huge thing. Um, but you know, there's, the reason why we're not using it is because of data privacy concerns and those exist for so many other social media platforms. So I kind of foresee other things happening to other platforms that kind of make social media maybe not the right place for marketing. That might be a little bit challenging. Yeah. Um, because like we've had conversations about how to get freshmen to come work at the State press and to kind of know about who we are. Mm-hmm. And social media has been a huge help, but getting ourselves out there and actually like at welcome events and that sort of thing. So I think there's gonna be a lot of, and there have been conversations probably since Monday about what they're gonna do next. 

Audrey Sadlier: 

Yeah, for sure. And do you know if other universities are like following suit? Is ASU alone right now with this new policy? 

Piper Hansen: 

Well, a spokesperson for the Arizona Board of Regents referred our reporters and myself to ASU for comment. Um, but the Arizona Republic did confirm Monday afternoon that NAU and UofA have already complied with the memorandum. So they don't have TikTok accounts anymore. They're not gonna allow TikTok on their own managed devices either. So, Yeah, those are the schools in Arizona. The big public ones that are following it. Not sure about other places, cuz that's not my beat. It's not my business, but. 

Naomi Dubovis: 

And is there anything else that you wanted to share or say something that. We haven't covered in the story. 

Piper Hansen: 

I did write about a, um, 'strike everything' amendment that was added to a house bill. Um, which basically just, it's a legislative process. It's a bit confusing, but if the bill passes, um, the Strike Everything Amendment will be in there. Um, and it's House Bill 24 16. It targets social networking devices developed by a Chinese internet technology company that was founded in March, 2012. It doesn't name TikTok, but that's very clearly TikTok. Um, and parts of that amendment would require Arizona to remove the app from any state technology. So it would basically extend that to all Arizona State devices, which would be. Arizona State, like as a state entity, not the university. Um, and it would ban state employees from conducting state business on electronic devices that also have TikTok downloaded on them. So it just kind of, there were bits and pieces of the Strike Everything amendment that very much mirrored the memorandum that is from President Biden. Um, and I think that that's really the only thing that I would add. It is a conversation that we're having at a federal level, but it's also happening in the state legislature. It's also happening on school boards, on whether or not students are going to be allowed to use TikTok, you know, on their school's wifi. Um, so it's a, it's the start in what I'm sure is going to be a huge like, conversation about whether or not people are gonna be allowed to use it. Um, and you know, I would also just add. And I said this before too, of there are other social media companies that do the same types of data scraping and like gathering of information on who is using their like platform. And so TikTok is not alone in doing that. 

Naomi Dubovis: 

That certainly sounds like it's setting a really interesting precedent. Well, that was State Press Editor-in-Chief Piper Hansen. Thanks for being here with us today. 

Piper Hansen: 

Thank you guys. 

Naomi Dubovis: 

So, where can people find you online? 

Piper Hansen: 

My Twitter account, which I'm very frequently on, um, is at Piper J Hansen. Um, you should also follow State Press on Twitter. 

Naomi Dubovis: 

You heard from the editor-in-chief. For more on this story, check out the article statepress.com and our Twitter at State Press.

Audrey Sadlier: 

Keep listening to find out more about Shady Park and Mirabella's compromise and the ASU softball team's progress this season.

Naomi Dubovis: 

Shady Park and Mirabella have reached an agreement which will settle the legal battle between the two companies. Both parties ask the Maricopa County Superior Court to dismiss their lawsuit. According to a joint statement issued Thursday due to resident complaints about high noise levels. The senior living community sued the bar and concert venue in November, 2021. The statement said that Shady Park will add quote, sound abatement measures, so live music can continue without disturbing marabella residents. Shady Park will also work with the city of Tempe to get a building permit to add these changes. Mirabella executive director Tom Durough called the Resolution quote, a win-win, and a quote. Great result for the city of Tempe. Shady Park owner Scott Price said in the statement quote, this resolution allows us to once again host proper live music events while addressing our neighbors' concerns. For more on the story, check out the article by Shane Brennan at statepress.com. 

Audrey Sadlier: 

16 games remain until the PAC 12 softball tournament and the Sun Devil women's softball team is working toward redemption after a tough losing streak. ASU opened the season with 15 wins to two losses. Morale remained high, both on the field and from the bench. Junior transfer pitcher, Mack Osborne said, quote, the energy from the dugout feeds into the outside on the field, so it's very energetic. That was until they lost against the University of Arizona Wildcats. On March 10th, the lost marked the beginning of a quote, rough patch, where the sun doubles struggled to maintain a steady stream of. Despite the up and down season, the team plans to persevere as to hit the road to Salt Lake City, where they will go head to head against a Utah team. You can watch the first pitch of that game on the PAC-12 network at 3:00 PM Mountain Time. For more information on the story, check out the article by Alfred Smith III at statepress.com. 

Naomi Dubovis: 

As we near the end. Here are our favorite stories from this last. 

Audrey Sadlier: 

ASU is located in Arizona, a landlocked state at least 200 miles away from the nearest ocean. But despite its location, ASU has been making massive advancements in shark conservation technology. In the past, most studies on shark reproduction have been done by sacrificing the animals in order to study how they rep. Nearly 73 million sharks are killed annually for their fence, and 75% of shark species are currently threatened with extinction. So the protection of sharks is more crucial now than ever. So the Sulkowski Shark and Fish Conservation Lab at ASU created the birth alert tag or the BAT. The BAT tracks the shark's pregnancy using non-lethal techniques, working with other tech like underwater ultrasounds and external satellite tags to better understand when and where the sharks are giving birth. The BAT is equipped with a wet-dry sensor, which makes it a cool piece of technology. When the BAT is dry, it's off. When it's inserted into the shark's uterus, it turns on and goes into standby. When the shark gives birth, the BAT will come out along with the shark's pups. The data it collects helps scientists better understand shark reproduction cycles to the team of scientists studying them. It all goes back to protecting shark moms. This was such a cool story. For more on ASU shark research, check out the article by Brenna Gauchat at State Press.com 

Naomi Dubovis: 

What are some of the most common items people steal? You might be thinking money, smartphones, maybe even hotel towels. What about a giant red spoon screwed to the side of a dairy queen? Well, it turns out someone wanted a 15 foot long kitchen utensil so bad. That they actually stole it, but fear not. Luckily, 54 year old Michael Foster found the spoon Monday morning while playing Pokemon Go and Phoenix Police was able to return the spoon to its Dairy Queen home. The spoon was located behind a fence surrounding a Phoenix Middle school baseball field just two miles away from the Dairy Queen. While suspects have yet to be identified, owner Ramon Cholera is just happy that the Dairy Queen and its beloved spoon are reunited, wants more, he said, quote. We are looking forward to the neighborhood creating more smiles and stories with this now world famous spoon. Now, having read this story, I consider this a certified Arizona moment, and I have to wonder, Which Pokemon led the guy to the spoon. For more on the story, check out the article by Terry Tang at apnews.com.

Naomi Dubovis: 

Thanks for listening to this episode and season two of State Press Play. But don't pause us just yet. Follow the state Press on Spotify or wherever you get your. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter at State Press. 

Audrey Sadlier: 

To learn more about the stories we talked about today, check out the articles online. You can find all these stories and more at statepress.com.

Naomi Dubovis: 

Thank you to Piper Hansen for being here with us this week. This show was edited and produced by the State Press Podcast desk. Thank you to our editor, Sonya Sheptunov, and to our managing team Andrew Onodera and Reece Andrews. Our music is courtesy of Epidemic Sound.

Naomi Dubovis: 

I am your host, Naomi Dubovis. 

Audrey Sadlier: 

And I'm Audrey Sadler. 

Naomi Dubovis: 

That's season two of State Press Play on the books. Thanks to our listeners, and we hope you tune in for season three this fall.

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