US government workers cleared to use TikTok on official devices again
A new OMB memo says federal employees may now use TikTok on government devices, formally ending the 2022 ban.
The Office of Management and Budget has issued a memo permitting Trump administration officials to use TikTok on government-issued devices, effectively reversing a 2022 ban. The decision relies on an earlier Justice Department opinion stating the original law no longer applies because the current version of TikTok is American-owned and uses a different recommendation algorithm than the version previously run by ByteDance.
Background on the ban
TikTok was barred from most federal devices in 2022 amid concerns over its parent company's ties to China. Officials under President Joe Biden, including FBI Director Chris Wray, described the app as a potential national security risk, though the precise nature of the threat remained widely debated. Intelligence agencies never publicly detailed specifics, but lawmakers pointed to TikTok's data collection practices and questioned whether its recommendation algorithm could be influenced by the Chinese government.
The app briefly disappeared from the US market last year after Biden signed legislation requiring ByteDance to sell it to American owners or face a ban. TikTok returned online as Trump took office, and a deal spinning off the US version of the app was finalized earlier this year.
New ownership structure
The US version of TikTok is now run by TikTok USDS Joint Venture, controlled by a group of investors including Oracle and Silver Lake, with ByteDance retaining a 19.9 percent stake. Several federal agencies — including the Department of Transportation, the Treasury Department and Health and Human Services — began posting on official TikTok accounts last month following the Justice Department's opinion. The White House launched its own account last year.
