U.S. federal agencies allow TikTok downloads on official devices after DOJ opinion

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Federal agencies allow TikTok

Highlights

U.S. Justice Department ruled that Executive Branch agencies may allow TikTok downloads on official devices, overturning the 2022 federal ban.
ByteDance's transfer of TikTok U.S. user data and operations to TikTok USDS, where American and global investors hold 80.1% and ByteDance 19.9%, led to the policy change.
Despite the April 2024 law requiring ByteDance to divest U.S. assets by January or face a ban, enforcement remains in question, impacting 200 million American users.

Justice Department opinion reshapes device policy

As reported by Reuters, the U.S. Justice Department said on Friday that the current version of TikTok does not pose risks and that Executive Branch agencies may allow employees to download the app onto official devices at their discretion, subject to workplace policies.

A 2022 law had barred federal employees from using TikTok on government devices over national security concerns. In a memorandum opinion to President Donald Trump released on Friday, the department said that restriction no longer applies because ByteDance completed a deal in January to transfer control of TikTok's U.S. user data and operations to the joint venture TikTok USDS.

The memo states that ByteDance's remaining 19.9% stake in the venture makes no practical difference. Under the agreement, American and global investors hold 80.1% of the joint venture.

Ownership structure and broader policy implications

In January, TikTok said TikTok USDS will retrain, test and update the app's content recommendation algorithm using U.S. user data, and that the algorithm will be secured in Oracle's U.S. cloud. Oracle is one of the venture's three main investors, while ByteDance says the structure protects U.S. user data, apps and algorithms through privacy and cybersecurity measures.

The decision marks a significant turn in Washington's handling of the platform after a law passed in April 2024 required ByteDance to sell its U.S. assets by the following January or face a ban, a measure upheld by the Supreme Court. Trump does not enforce that law, and the White House and TikTok do not immediately comment on Friday's development.

About 200 million Americans use TikTok. Reuters reported in September, citing sources, that ByteDance would maintain ownership of TikTok's U.S. business operations while ceding control of the app's data, content and algorithm to the joint venture.

Our earlier report on the White House’s growing role in frontier AI access explained how the administration began stepping into decisions on who can use the most advanced models, citing cybersecurity and national security risks. It described temporary restrictions on certain Anthropic models and pressure on OpenAI to limit new releases to trusted partners, underscoring a broader push for federal oversight as competition with Chinese AI firms intensifies.

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