DOJ Says Federal Employees May Use TikTok on Government Devices
The department said the 2022 ban no longer applies after ByteDance transferred U.S. data and operations to TikTok USDS, which serves about 200 million Americans.
- On Friday, the Justice Department announced that federal employees may now download TikTok onto government devices, arguing the previous ban no longer applies following the app's restructuring.
- A 2022 law initially banned the app over national security concerns regarding Beijing-based ByteDance, but a memorandum to President Donald Trump states the current TikTok USDS version does not pose risks.
- American and global investors hold an 80.1% stake in TikTok USDS, while ByteDance retains 19.9%; the Justice Department added that this minority ownership "makes no practical difference" to security.
- Individual federal agencies retain discretion to allow or restrict the app, as they can "independently decide to ban the downloading of TikTok to government devices for workforce management reasons."
- President Donald Trump opted not to enforce a 2024 law requiring divestment, facilitating the ownership deal; the platform serves about 200 million Americans, marking a significant policy shift.
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Government Employees Can Use TikTok on Their Devices Again, DOJ Says
Federal employees can once again use TikTok on their government-issued devices, according to a Department of Justice (DOJ) memorandum released on Friday. The version of the app now operated by the TikTok U.S. Data Security Joint Venture no longer falls under the No TikTok on Government Devices Act, passed in 2022, which had banned it from government devices over national security concerns about its Chinese parent company, ByteDance. The joint v…
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WTVBFederal employees can download TikTok on government devices, DOJ says
WASHINGTON, July 17 : The U.S. Justice Department said on Friday that federal employees can now download the short-video app TikTok on government devices.A 2022 law banned federal employees from using the app on government devices, citing national security concerns, but a department opinion released on Friday
DOJ: Federal Employees Can Download TikTok on Government Devices
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