The US Office of Management and Budget (OMB) rescinded the ban on the social media platform TikTok for government devices in a memo signed on Monday. The memo was signed by OMB Secretary Russell Vought.
The TikTok ban on most government-issued devices was established by a 2022 law. The OMB memo confirms, "TikTok may be used on government devices."
The move follows a Department of Justice (DoJ) opinion stating that the version of TikTok operated by TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC no longer qualifies as a "covered application" under the No TikTok on Government Devices Act. The DoJ stated that the current version has American owners and relies on a different recommendation algorithm than the app that operated under ByteDance. The DoJ Office of Legal Counsel released a memo stating government employees can lawfully download TikTok.
The 2022 ban on most federal government devices was implemented amid concerns regarding the parent company ByteDance's ties to China. Under then-President Joe Biden, FBI Director Chris Wray and other government officials stated that TikTok posed a national security threat.
The US version of TikTok is controlled by an entity called TikTok USDS Joint Venture, which is controlled by a group of investors including Oracle and Silver Lake. ByteDance maintains a 19.9 percent stake in that joint venture.
ByteDance's remaining ownership in the US version of TikTok.
Several government bodies have recently embraced the platform. The US Department of Transportation, the US Treasury Department, and the US Department of Health and Human Services all started new official TikTok accounts last month, and the White House opened its own account last year.
US President Donald Trump instructed that executive branch employees could download TikTok on official devices. Individual agencies retain discretion over TikTok use, and employees must comply with applicable workplace policies.
