The US White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) officially lifted the ban on TikTok on federal government devices on August 10, 2026, by rescinding a directive issued in 2023 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]. The ban originated from the No TikTok on Government Devices Act passed by Congress in December 2022, which banned TikTok due to national security concerns tied to its Chinese ownership [1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7].
TikTok’s US business underwent a significant restructuring in January 2026, transferring control from the Chinese parent ByteDance to a US-based joint venture led by Oracle, Silver Lake, and Abu Dhabi’s MGX [2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]. The move aimed to address security concerns by placing TikTok’s US operations under American ownership and oversight.
In July 2026, the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel issued an opinion that TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC no longer qualifies as a “covered application” under the 2022 ban law. The office stated, “The application operated by TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC no longer qualifies as a ‘covered application’ under the No TikTok on Government Devices Act” [1].
Following the ownership change, TikTok adjusted its content recommendation algorithms and cybersecurity measures to better protect federal government information on its platform [2, 3]. With the ban lifted, federal agencies now have discretion to decide whether to allow TikTok on government devices [1, 4, 5, 7].
Former President Donald Trump publicly reversed the ban and praised TikTok’s political influence. He claimed TikTok helped him win the 2024 election and thanked Chinese President Xi Jinping for facilitating the business restructuring and clearance of regulatory hurdles. Trump said, “TikTok助他贏得2024年總統大選，還感謝中國國家主席習近平幫助掃清交易的審查障礙” and called himself the top-ranked American political figure on TikTok [1, 4, 8, 7].
The White House launched its own TikTok account in 2025 to promote policies, which has grown to over 7.1 million followers [4]. More than 170 million Americans use TikTok overall, underscoring the platform’s influence [4].
The OMB memo dated August 10, 2026, marks the formal end of the TikTok ban on government devices, leaving agencies to set their own policies regarding its usage [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 7].
