Federal Employees Allowed to Use TikTok on Government Devices Again
Original: Federal employees can download TikTok on their work phones again
Why This Matters
The reversal signals a significant policy shift on TikTok's legal status within the U.S. federal government.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced that federal employees may once again download TikTok on government-issued devices. A DOJ memo states that a 2022 ban no longer applies following a deal transferring TikTok's U.S. operations to a joint venture backed by Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX.
The U.S. Department of Justice has informed federal agencies that employees are permitted to download TikTok on their official government devices, according to Reuters. A 2022 law had previously prohibited federal employees from using the short-form video app on government-issued phones and computers. The DOJ now says that law is no longer applicable, citing a deal that transferred ownership of TikTok's U.S. operations to a new joint venture backed by Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX. Oracle serves as the security partner for the joint venture, while former parent company ByteDance retains a 19.9% stake. A DOJ memo states that President Donald Trump has cleared 'employees of Executive Branch agencies' to 'download TikTok onto their official devices, subject to the agency's discretion and consistent with all applicable workplace policies.' TikTok had also faced a broader U.S.-wide ban, but the app went offline only briefly before Trump repeatedly delayed enforcement and urged service providers to restore access.