Which U.S. federal law prohibited TikTok on federal government devices?

The U.S. federal law that prohibited TikTok on federal government devices was the No TikTok on Government Devices Act.

Congress enacted the law as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, which President Joe Biden signed on December 29, 2022. It directed the removal of TikTok from federal information-technology systems because of concerns about data security and possible foreign-government access.

The law was narrower than proposals seeking a nationwide TikTok ban. It targeted devices issued or managed by the federal government, not ordinary personal phones. It also allowed limited exceptions for activities such as law enforcement, national security, and security research.

A common mix-up is the RESTRICT Act, a separate proposal that would have created broader federal authority over technology linked to foreign adversaries. The law specifically associated with the federal-device prohibition is the No TikTok on Government Devices Act.