Published • loading... • Updated
OMB Rescinds TikTok Ban on Government Devices
The move follows a Justice Department opinion that TikTok now functions independently of ByteDance and is majority owned by U.S. investors.
- The Office of Management and Budget lifted the ban on TikTok for government devices on Monday, following a Justice Department legal opinion that the app no longer qualifies as a "covered application" under the 2022 No TikTok on Government Devices Act.
- A deal transferred control of the app's U.S. business to a consortium of American firms including Oracle, Silver Lake Management, and MGX, prompting the DOJ to conclude the platform now functions independently of Beijing-based ByteDance.
- The app "has revised the content recommendation algorithm and cybersecurity program originally developed by ByteDance to insulate federal government information," though ByteDance retains a 19.9 percent stake in the new U.S. joint venture.
- Federal agencies including the Department of Transportation and Department of Housing and Urban Development have begun posting content, though the DOJ opinion does not mandate usage and allows agencies to "ban the downloading of TikTok" for productivity reasons.
- Privacy experts remain critical of the reversal; Calli Schroeder, senior counsel at the Electronic Privacy Information Center, argued the decision "exponentially increases security risk" on government devices and represents an "unnecessary gamble.
Insights by Ground AI
Podcasts & Opinions
43 Articles
43 Articles
North Dakota governor lifts ban on TikTok from state devices
North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong this week lifted a ban on TikTok for state-owned devices, citing a change in ownership for the social media company. The TikTok ban for state government devices had been in place since a 2022 executive…
·Billings, United States
Read Full Article
TikTok Returning to Government Phones as Federal Ban Lifted.
Following ByteDance’s divestment to U.S. investors, the Trump administration has reversed a ban on TikTok for federal devices.PULSE POINTS WHAT HAPPENED: The White House has lifted its ban on TikTok for federal devices. DETAIL: Back in 2022, the Biden government implemented a ban on TikTok for federal devices over fears of Chinese data collection. ByteDance, the Chinese technology company that created the app, agreed to divest in September 2025 …
·Jupiter, United States
Read Full Article
Coverage Details
Total News Sources43
Leaning Left11Leaning Right12Center11Last UpdatedBias Distribution35% Right
Bias Distribution
- 35% of the sources lean Right
35% Right
L 33%
C 32%
R 35%
![[your]NEWS](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgroundnews.b-cdn.net%2Finterests%2Ffb6dc495f74049f513563c33352175eaa0ecd509.jpg%3Fwidth%3D60&w=128&q=75)
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
