UT Austin Blocks Shein on Campus Wi-Fi Amid Texas China Tech Crackdown

The University of Texas at Austin implemented the ban on February 27, 2026, prohibiting Shein, TikTok, Temu, Alibaba, Alipay, WeChat, Huawei, TP-Link and others from school devices and campus Wi-Fi to comply with Governor Greg Abbott's directives.[1][2][3] This follows Abbott's January 2026 expansion of a 2022 order, growing the prohibited list to 54 Chinese-affiliated entities including RedNote, DeepSeek, Xiaomi and Baidu.[2][3][4] 'Rogue actors across the globe who wish harm on Texans should not be allowed to infiltrate our state's network and devices,' Abbott stated, citing threats from the People's Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party.[2] UT Austin's policy extends to all faculty, staff, contractors, fellows, post-docs, interns and student employees using personal devices for university business, such as email or data access.[1] The university emphasized safeguarding against malware that intercepts information without authorization, aiming to protect sensitive state and university data.[1][2][3] Access remains possible via cellular data or off-campus internet, but campus Wi-Fi blocks the sites entirely.[3] Texas updated its banned companies list on February 4, 2026, amid broader scrutiny of Shein.[1] Since December 2025, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has investigated Shein for potential violations involving unethical labor practices, unsafe products and data privacy risks to American consumers.[1] Abbott's expansion addresses 'hostile adversaries' harvesting user data via AI and apps to exploit and manipulate users.[3] The restrictions reflect Texas' multi-year campaign against Chinese tech, including prior bans on apps and devices.[1][2] As one of the nation's largest campuses, UT Austin's action—confirmed Tuesday, February 17, 2026, to Fox Business—signals potential ripple effects for other state institutions and heightens tensions in U.S.-China tech relations.[2][3]