TikTok is no longer banned on devices owned by the federal government. Did you even remember that it was banned on devices owned by the federal government?
The story here is easy to forget:
President Donald Trump “banned” TikTok for the first time in August 2020 by executive order. That order effectively sanctioned TikTok, focusing on its ability to make money through advertising in the US.
So President Joe Biden reversed that order the following year.
But Biden’s reversal of Trump’s TikTok ban is something that has long memories. After pressure built for years with a series of state-by-state bans on TikTok use on government devices, in 2023, Biden signed bill banning TikTok on devices owned by the federal government. That is the relevant law here.
Then, through another act of Congress (actually in a clause attached to a bill providing military aid to Israel) the entire app was de jure banned under Biden. That ban was never enforced and TikTok US ended up changing hands and becoming property of a US consortium last year.
But that federal ban on the devices remained in effect for three years, because the law was still in effect. And now the nightmare is over. The Department of Justice cannot change the law, but says the law will not be applied.
“We understand that you (President Trump) have since directed that employees of Executive Branch agencies may download TikTok to their official devices, subject to agency discretion and in accordance with all applicable workplace policies,” a Friday memo read. The Justice Department will not pursue charges against those executive branch employees.
So if you’re reading this on a device owned by the federal government, go ahead. install tiktok. Watch and create short-form video content before the legal landscape changes once again.
