DOJ Lifts TikTok Ban on Federal Government Devices

The United States Department of Justice announced Friday that federal employees may once again download TikTok on government-issued devices. This decision reverses a 2022 law that banned the application due to national security risks. The DOJ's Office of Legal Counsel issued a 12-page opinion concluding that the app's current structure eliminates the risks that prompted the original ban, meaning it no longer falls under the prohibitions of the 2022 No TikTok on Government Devices Act.

The shift follows a January 2026 deal that transferred control of U.S. user data, algorithms, and operations to the TikTok U.S. Data Security Joint Venture (TikTok USDS). This joint venture is majority-owned by American and global investors, including Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX, and ensures data is stored in American centers. ByteDance, the Beijing-based parent company, now retains a minority stake of 19.9%.

This restructuring was the result of a 2024 divest-or-ban law signed by Joe Biden, with later enforcement pauses by Donald Trump to facilitate the divestiture agreement. While President Trump cleared the use of the app for Executive Branch employees, the DOJ specified that individual federal agencies maintain the discretion to prohibit the app to promote employee productivity.