{"id":637,"date":"2026-07-18T05:40:04","date_gmt":"2026-07-18T05:40:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/officemovingamerica.com\/?p=637"},"modified":"2026-07-18T05:40:04","modified_gmt":"2026-07-18T05:40:04","slug":"federal-employees-can-download-tiktok-on-government-devices-doj-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/officemovingamerica.com\/?p=637","title":{"rendered":"Federal Employees Can Download TikTok on Government Devices, DOJ Says"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By David Shepardson<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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WASHINGTON, July 17 (Reuters) – The U.S. \u2060Justice \u2060Department said on Friday that \u2060federal employees can now download the short-video app TikTok on \u200bgovernment devices.<\/p>\n

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A 2022 law banned federal employees from using the app on government devices, citing \u200cnational security concerns, but a \u200cdepartment opinion released on Friday said it no longer applies, citing a deal by \u2060TikTok’s Chinese \u2060owner ByteDance to transfer control of the app’s U.S. user data \u200band operations to the joint venture TikTok USDS that was completed in January.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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In January, TikTok said the venture will retrain, test and update TikTok’s content recommendation algorithm on U.S. user \u200bdata and the algorithm will be secured in Oracle’s U.S. cloud. Oracle is \u2060one \u2060of the venture’s three main \u2060investors.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The memorandum \u200bopinion to President Donald Trump said the current version of TikTok does not \u200bpose risks. “We understand you have \u2060since instructed that employees of Executive Branch agencies may download TikTok onto their official devices, subject to the agency\u2019s discretion and consistent with all applicable workplace policies,” the memo said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The divestiture agreement provides for American and global investors to hold 80.1% \u2060of the venture while ByteDance will own 19.9%. The Justice Department said the \u2060fact that ByteDance “remains a minority shareholder in the joint venture operating TikTok USDS makes no practical difference.”<\/p>\n

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The White House and TikTok did not immediately comment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Trump opted not to enforce a law passed in April 2024 requiring ByteDance to sell its U.S. assets by the following January or face a ban \u2014 a measure upheld by the Supreme Court. Trump regularly touts his popularity on TikTok.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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ByteDance said TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC will protect U.S. \u2060user data, apps and algorithms through data privacy and cybersecurity measures. About 200 million Americans use TikTok.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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In September, Reuters reported, citing sources, that ByteDance would maintain ownership of TikTok’s U.S. business operations but would cede control of \u200bthe app’s data, content and algorithm to the joint venture.<\/p>\n

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(Reporting \u200bby David Shepardson; Editing by Chris Reese)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters<\/b>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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