Cybersecurity Policy Report, Federal Agencies Can Use TikTok Again, OMB Says, (Aug 13, 2026)
Organizations Mentioned:Office of Legal Counsel
A ban on the use of TikTok on federal government devices and networks has been lifted by the White House Office of Management and Budget. A similar ban on official state government devices in North Dakota was also reversed.
The federal ban was removed by an OMB memorandum that rescinded a 2023 OMB directive that required agencies to remove the TikTok app from their information technology infrastructure pursuant to the 2022 No TikTok on Government Devices Act (CPR, Feb. 28, 2023).
While the No TikTok on Government Devices Act remains in effect, a recent opinion from the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) reasoned that TikTok had undergone a transformation that no longer made it a national security threat (CPR, July 20).
The Chinese government’s control over TikTok was eliminated when TikTok’s owner, ByteDance, Ltd., reduced its ownership in the video-sharing app to 19.9% as part of a restructuring that gave U.S. investors a controlling interest in TikTok, OLC said.
TikTok’s restructuring was required by the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act of 2024, which forced TikTok to cut its ties to the Chinese government to keep its U.S. operations in business.
“Pursuant to the Opinion of the Office of Legal Counsel issued on July 17, 2026, TikTok is no longer a ‘covered application’ for purposes of the No TikTok on Government Devices Act,” OMB’s new guidance says. “Accordingly, 0MB Memorandum M-23-13 (‘No TikTok on Government Devices Implementation Guidance’) is rescinded. TikTok may be used on government devices.”
In North Dakota, Gov. Kelly Armstrong (R.) yesterday lifted a ban that had been in place since 2022 that required TikTok to be removed from official state government devices and networks, according to a news release. North Dakota was among more than 20 states that had banned TikTok on government devices (CPR, Jan. 13, 2023).
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