White House lifts 2023 TikTok ban on US government devices
What's new: A Justice Department opinion found TikTok no longer falls under the federal app ban after its US business shifted to American investors.
The White House has scrapped a 2023 directive that barred TikTok from federal government devices, reversing a restriction imposed over national security concerns tied to the app’s Chinese ownership. In an Aug. 11 memo, the Office of Management and Budget rescinded the ban after a July Justice Department opinion concluded TikTok no longer qualified as a covered application under a 2022 law. The change follows a January deal that transferred control of TikTok’s US business from ByteDance to a group of American firms led by Oracle and Silver Lake Management. The opinion said the current version of the app operates independently of ByteDance and has reworked its recommendation algorithm and cybersecurity program.