# Federal employees can download TikTok on government devices after ByteDance’s divestiture, DOJ says

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/federal-employees-can-download-tiktok-on-government-devices-after-bytedances-divestiture-doj-says/
- Published: 2026-07-18T12:55:32+00:00
- Updated: 2026-07-18T16:14:18+00:00
- Original publisher: Fox News (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://www.foxnews.com/us/federal-employees-can-download-tiktok-government-devices-after-bytedances-divestiture-doj-says
- Topics: Business, Government, Markets, Politics, Trending, Weird & Viral, World

## Key points

- DOJ memo lifts TikTok ban on government devices
- Follows ByteDance's transfer of US operations to TikTok USDS
- New venture is majority American-owned, addressing security concerns

## Summary

Federal employees will now be permitted to download and use TikTok on government-issued devices, according to a memo issued by the Department of Justice, reversing a ban that had been in place for several years. The change follows a decision by ByteDance, TikTok's Chinese parent company, to transfer control of the app's US user data and operations to a new entity, marking a significant shift in how the platform is treated by federal authorities.

The new arrangement centres on TikTok U.S. Data Security (TikTok USDS), a joint venture that is majority owned by American investors, which now oversees the app's US data and operations previously controlled by ByteDance. The move addresses the national security concerns that originally prompted the government-device ban, and comes as President Donald Trump has publicly spoken favourably about TikTok, including boasting about his own popularity on the platform.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.