TikTok Unbanned On Government Phones Despite Security Concerns

The White House (link downloads a PDF to your device) has advised federal employees that they are now able to install the social video platform TikTok onto their work devices, effectively ending a ban that Congress passed in 2022. ByteDance sold TikTok to a U.S.-based joint venture in January to comply with a 2024 law that required foreign adversary-controlled entities to undergo a “qualified divestiture” in order to operate in the United States. The Office of Budget and Management cites Department of Justice (downloads PDF) guidance from July noting that the TikTok divestiture means the 2022 law no longer applies….