US lifts TikTok ban on government devices after ByteDance restructuring
The White House has formally lifted the ban on TikTok on US government devices after the Justice Department determined that the version operated by the platform’s new US joint venture is no longer covered by a 2022 prohibition targeting applications controlled by its Chinese parent company, ByteDance. The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), in a memo dated Monday, rescinded a 2023…
The White House has officially lifted the ban on TikTok for use on US government devices, after the Justice Department concluded that the app operated by TikTok's new US joint venture is no longer subject to a 2022 prohibition. This decision rescinds a 2023 directive that barred TikTok due to national security concerns related to its Chinese ownership.
The move aligns with a July opinion from the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel, which found that TikTok's US version, now under a majority American-owned consortium, no longer qualified as a "covered application" under the No TikTok on Government Devices Act. The restructuring, completed in January 2026, involved TikTok's transfer of control from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance Ltd, to an American consortium led by Oracle, Silver Lake Management, and Abu Dhabi investment firm MGX.
Each entity holds a 15% stake, with ByteDance retaining 19.9% and other investors owning the remaining 5%. This change in control was intended to ensure compliance with American national security rules and data policies.
Written by urgent.news from Reuters Business via SCMP's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
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