The Trump administration has lifted the ban on TikTok on federal government devices after the social media application shifted its United States operations to American investors. In a memo dated August 10, 2026, the White House Office of Management and Budget rescinded its 2023 directive barring the app due to Chinese ownership risks. This follows a July 2026 Justice Department opinion concluding TikTok is no longer a covered application under a 2022 federal law.
TikTok federal device ban lifted
- ▪The White House Office of Management and Budget issued a memo dated August 10, 2026, that rescinded the ban on TikTok on federal government devices
- ▪The Trump administration lifted restrictions on the use of TikTok on federal government devices on August 11, 2026
US ownership transfer
- ▪TikTok shifted its United States operations to American investors prior to August 11, 2026
- ▪The Trump administration determined that TikTok no longer poses a national security threat following the transition of its United States operations to American investors
National security assessment change
- ▪The Trump administration determined that TikTok no longer poses a national security threat following the transition of its United States operations to American investors
- ▪A United States Justice Department written opinion in July 2026 concluded that TikTok no longer qualified as a 'covered application' under federal law
2023 OMB directive rescinded
- ▪The White House Office of Management and Budget rescinded a 2023 directive that barred the use of TikTok on federal government equipment
- ▪The 2023 White House Office of Management and Budget directive barred TikTok on government equipment due to concerns that its then-Chinese ownership represented a security risk
2022 federal platform law
- ▪A United States Justice Department written opinion in July 2026 concluded that TikTok no longer qualified as a 'covered application' under federal law
- ▪A federal law passed in 2022 barred the use of the video-sharing service TikTok on United States federal platforms
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