DOJ Clears TikTok for Federal Devices
Federal employees can once again download TikTok on government-issued devices, subject to agency discretion, after the Department of Justice (DOJ) concluded the app is no longer subject to the 2022 No TikTok on Government Devices Act.
In a memo, DOJ said changes to TikTok's ownership structure mean the social media app is no longer covered by that law, which required agencies to remove TikTok from government-issued devices over concerns that its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, could provide user data to the Chinese government.
DOJ said the current version “now available in the United States poses no such [security] risk.”
A New Joint Venture
The ownership changes stem from the 2024 Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which required ByteDance to sell TikTok's U.S. operations or face a nationwide ban.
In January, ByteDance officially transferred control of TikTok's U.S. user data and operations to a majority U.S.-owned venture backed by software giant Oracle, private equity firm Silver Lake, and Emirates-owned investment firm MGX.
TikTok said data is now being stored on Oracle’s cloud and that it will abide by all U.S. federal cybersecurity standards.
In a memo concluding the app is no longer subject to the 2022 law, Assistant Attorney General T. Elliot Gaiser wrote that the new venture "functions independently of ByteDance, is majority-owned by American investors, and has revised the content recommendation algorithm."
Agency Discretion
The memo also makes clear that agencies retain discretion over whether to allow TikTok on government-issued devices.
“There is no mandate that agencies exercise that discretion in any particular way in any or all cases. For instance, agencies may independently decide to ban the downloading of TikTok to government devices for workforce management reasons, such as promoting employee productivity,” stated the memo.
