Bulletins

The TikTok executive order won't apply to employee pay

The Department of Justice clarified the executive order's scope in a response to a lawsuit filed by TikTok employee Patrick Ryan.

That suit accused the Trump administration of violating employees' constitutional rights by prohibiting any transaction with TikTok's parent company ByteDance. Ryan argued that the order could stand in the way of TikTok employees' ability to get paid. But in its response, the DOJ said the Commerce Department will state that the order doesn't apply to employee wages or benefits. That, the DOJ argued, means that Ryan's case is "now moot."

Update: On Tuesday afternoon, a federal judge denied Ryan's request to bar implementation of the executive order.

Issie Lapowsky

Issie Lapowsky ( @issielapowsky) is Protocol's chief correspondent, covering the intersection of technology, politics, and national affairs. She also oversees Protocol's fellowship program. Previously, she was a senior writer at Wired, where she covered the 2016 election and the Facebook beat in its aftermath. Prior to that, Issie worked as a staff writer for Inc. magazine, writing about small business and entrepreneurship. She has also worked as an on-air contributor for CBS News and taught a graduate-level course at New York University's Center for Publishing on how tech giants have affected publishing.

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