Governor Armstrong repeals North Dakota’s TikTok ban on state-owned devices

(KNOX/Valley News Live) –Governor Kelly Armstrong repealed a ban that prohibited executive branch agencies from using TikTok on state-owned devices.

The reversal removes the existing statewide prohibition, and it will now allow agencies to request access to TikTok on state-owned devices. The decision was made because of a change in the app’s ownership structure.

Requests will continue to go through North Dakota Information Technology’s standard application review process and must meet applicable security requirements before access is approved.

Former Governor Doug Burgum issued the TikTok ban in December 2022, citing national security concerns about how the app collected and shared data because Chinese parent company ByteDance was the majority owner.

In September 2025, President Donald Trump issued an executive order approving a proposed divestiture of TikTok’s U.S. operations to a new joint venture majority-owned by American investors. TikTok announced in January 2026 that it had spun off its U.S. operations to the joint venture, whose owners include Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX. The venture operates under a seven-member, majority-American board of directors.