TikTok is now no longer banned on federal government-owned devices. Did you even remember that it was banned on federal government-owned devices?
The history here is easy to forget:
President Donald Trump first “banned” TikTok in August of 2020 via executive order. That order effectively sanctioned TikTok—with a focus on its ability to make money through advertising in the U.S.
Then President Joe Biden reversed that order the following year.
But Biden reversing Trump’s TikTok ban is extremely memory holed. After pressure built up for years with a series of state-by-state bans on TikTok being used on government devices, in 2023, Biden signed a bill banning TikTok on federal government-owned devices. That’s the relevant law here.
Then, via another act of congress (actually in a rider attached to a bill providing military aid to Israel) the whole app was de jure banned under Biden. That ban was never enforced, and TikTok U.S. just ended up changing hands and coming to be owned by a U.S. consortium last year.
But that federal device ban stayed in effect for three years, because the law was still on the books. And now the nightmare is over. The Department of Justice can’t change the law, but it says the law won’t be enforced.
“We understand you [President Trump] have since instructed that employees of Executive Branch agencies may download TikTok onto their official devices, subject to the agency’s discretion and consistent with all applicable workplace policies,” a memo on Friday said. The DOJ won’t pursue charges against those executive branch employees.
So if you’re reading this on a federal government-owned device, go ahead. Install TikTok. Watch and create some shortform video content before the legal landscape shifts once again.
