US government employees can use TikTok on work devices again

The Trump administration has officially ended a ban that prevented executive branch employees from downloading TikTok onto government devices. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) rescinded the policy in a memo released Tuesday, closing a chapter on a ban implemented over national security concerns tied to the social media app's previous ownership by Beijing-based ByteDance.

Congress had passed the No TikTok on Government Devices Act in 2022, requiring the OMB to establish standards for enforcing the app's prohibition on government devices. This policy shift follows a July determination by the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel that the ban does not extend to the U.S. version of TikTok, which was established in January through a joint venture involving Oracle and Abu Dhabi-based artificial intelligence company MGX.

The joint venture was formed in response to a law enacted by Congress in 2024, mandating that ByteDance divest its ownership of TikTok or face a ban in the United States. While China hawks in Congress had previously indicated scrutiny of the divestiture deal, they have largely accepted it since then. Agencies such as the Treasury, Transportation, and Health and Human Services departments had already begun creating TikTok accounts following the July legal opinion, and the White House launched its own account last year.

However, the House and Senate continue to enforce their own TikTok bans on congressional devices, and several states, including Texas and Virginia, have also implemented similar restrictions on government devices over the past few years. Inquiries to the offices of the Senate Sergeant at Arms and House Chief Administrative Officer regarding potential rescission of these congressional bans remained unanswered.