The US Department of Justice has confirmed that federal employees may now download and use TikTok on government-issued devices, reversing a ban imposed in 2022 over national security concerns. The original prohibition stemmed from fears, voiced by then-FBI director Chris Wray, that China could exploit TikTok's ties to parent company ByteDance to harvest data on American users. The DOJ says the app's current ownership structure removes those risks, though individual agencies can still choose to restrict its use for other reasons, such as staff productivity.

The shift follows a deal finalised in January this year that created a new entity, the TikTok US Data Security Joint Venture, to run the app's American operations. ByteDance retains just under a 20% stake, with the remainder held by non-Chinese investors including Oracle, whose secure US cloud infrastructure now underpins the platform's data handling. The DOJ said this new venture operates independently of ByteDance and has revised the algorithm and cybersecurity systems that originally prompted the ban, though TikTok has said US users will still receive international content.