Question
Why am I seeing a message telling me the Web site I'm trying to visit has been blocked?
Answer
A number of dangerous and malicious sites are blocked by the university to protect information technology resources. Experts and research have recently pointed to the possibility that foreign governments may use certain social media apps, websites and platforms to collect user data and personal identifiers; exert influence over the recommendation algorithm; and compromise devices.
Due to these security concerns, the Florida Board of Governors issued an emergency regulation that requires all of Florida’s public universities to comply with the State University System’s Prohibited Technologies List. To comply with the regulation, UCF will block access to the listed social media apps, websites and platforms deemed to threaten privacy and data security.
The actions of the State University System and the University of Central Florida are in line with bipartisan inquiry and other bans of high-risk software applications to better protect sensitive personal, research, and university data.
The following sites are prohibited based on State University Systems policies:
Kaspersky
VKontakte
Tencent QQ
TikTok
WeChat
Any subsidiary or affiliate of an entity listed above.
Data privacy and security are priorities for UCF, and we appreciate you doing your part to protect both your personal and university-related data. We also strongly recommend anyone with these apps delete them from their personal devices.
If you have any questions please contact UCF IT Support Center at 407-823-5117