Justice Department clears TikTok downloads on government devices

The Justice Department said federal employees can now download TikTok on government devices, a sharp shift from the federal ban that had kept the short-video app off those machines. The new reading narrows one layer of government restriction, but it does not erase the older Biden White House directive, the congressional ban framework, or the separate contracting rules built around national-security concerns.

Joe Biden’s White House told federal agencies in February 2023 to remove TikTok from all government-issued mobile devices within 30 days. That directive also told agencies to add contract language barring the app in new IT services solicitations, while carving out limited exceptions for law enforcement, national security, and security research purposes. Congress later passed the No TikTok on Government Devices Act, reinforcing the pressure on federal use of the app.

The conflict becomes sharper when federal contract work is involved. A federal interim rule issued June 2, 2023, prohibits TikTok on devices used by individuals for federal contract work. That means a federal worker could face different restrictions depending on whether the phone is government-issued, tied to contract work, or covered by a specific agency policy.

The broader fight over TikTok has never been only about device security. U.S. officials have tied the app to national-security concerns because of its Chinese ownership through ByteDance, and that scrutiny has driven restrictions in Washington and elsewhere. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld a law that bans TikTok in the United States unless ByteDance sells the platform, putting the company under continuing legal pressure even as the app says it has more than 170 million users in the country.

The new Justice Department position leaves federal workers with a narrower download rule but not a clean break from the government’s wider approach. The app remains caught between a legal determination that softens one federal restriction and a broader bipartisan campaign that still treats TikTok as a security risk.