Federal employees can download TikTok on their work phones again
The U.S. Department of Justice has lifted the ban on federal employees using TikTok on government-issued devices. This change follows a restructuring deal where TikTok's U.S. operations were transferred to a joint venture involving Oracle and other investors.
Why it matters
This policy shift marks a major reversal in U.S. government stance toward the Chinese-owned app, reflecting new ownership structures and political administration priorities.
The Department of Justice says that federal employees can now download TikTok on their government devices, according to Reuters .
A 2022 law banned federal employees from using the short-form video app on those devices, but the DOJ reportedly says the law no longer applies, thanks to a deal transferring ownership of TikTok’s U.S. operations to a joint venture backed by Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX. (Oracle serves as the security partner for the new joint venture, while previous owner ByteDance retains a 19.9% stake.)
The DOJ memo reportedly says 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.”
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