Ron Hoenig accuses Libs of ’obsession’ with his social media after TikTok use sparks security concerns

NSW Local Government Minister Ron Hoenig has accused Liberal MPs of ‘obsession’ over his TikTok use, but won’t say if he sought security advice over using his work phone to post on the app.

A senior NSW minister has refused to say if he sought any security advice about using TikTok on a phone he uses for work.

The Daily Telegraph on Tuesday revealed Ron Hoenig was using TikTok on a phone that he also uses for official business, in a move which experts say raises security concerns.

Mr Hoenig failed to outline what advice if any he had taken from security agencies about using the Chinese-owned app on the phone where he gets parliamentary emails, under questioning in parliament.

He accused the Opposition of having an “obsession” with his social media content, which have included memes about “World Hobbit Day” and Halloween.

“I manage my social media accounts in accordance with the social media guidelines for Ministers and will continue to do so,” Mr Hoenig told parliament.

NSW MP Ron Hoenig, a member of Premier Chris Minns’ exclusive “leadership team,” and some of the TikTok posted to his 3000 followers. Pictures: News Corp/Supplied

The [parliamentary quizzing came after Mr Joenug was accused of putting national security at risk by using TikTok on the same phone he uses for work.

The Daily Telegraph revealed it’s the same phone that he uses for parliamentary business, despite a state and federal government ban on Ministers using the Chinese-owned application on official government phones.

A Minns government spokeswoman on Monday denied Mr Hoenig was breaching the rules, insisting that Mr Hoenig – who is a member of Premier Chris Minns’ leadership team – does not get ministerial emails on his mobile phone.

Local Government Minister Ron Hoenig. Picture: NCA Newswire/ Gaye Gerard

Mr Hoenig uses his TikTok account to post cringe-worthy videos to his 3000 followers, including a shoddily-edited video to mark the start of the NRL season and a video on Sunday to commemorate St Patrick’s Day.

He has continued using his account despite Mr Minns banning the social media platform from “government-issued devices” last year.

Ron Hoenig has more than 3000 followers on TikTok.

The state ban mirrored a ban imposed by the Federal government, on the advice of Australia’s security agencies.

The federal ban imposed strict rules on government officials using TikTok, including that the app should be installed on a “stand-alone device without access to services that process or access official and classified information”.

Devices with TikTok installed are supposed to be isolated “from sensitive conversations and information,” advice from the federal Attorney-General’s Department says.

A spokeswoman for Mr Hoenig said the app is “managed on a personal phone, not a government issued device”.

However, Mr Hoenig does not have a separate government-issued phone for ministerial business.

A spokeswoman for Ron Hoenig said TikTok was “managed on a personal phone”. Picture: NCA Newswire / Gaye Gerard

Asked in parliament about his TikTok account earlier this month, Mr Hoenig said he does not have a “ministerial mobile phone”.

A government spokeswoman said Mr Hoenig only gets “parliamentary” emails on his mobile phone, while ministerial emails go to a work iPad.

Cyber security experts said that having TikTok installed on a phone used to conduct official business is a national security risk.

“There are like significant data risks associated with using TikTok and overlapping that with government business and sensitive roles,” Internet 2.0 Founder and Chairman Robert Potter said.

Mr Potter said it would be a national security risk to have TikTok installed on a phone where official business is conducted.

Ron Hoenig TikTok usage has been labelled a “security risk”.

“If you’re accepting your government email, you’ve got your government contacts, you’re doing government business on your phone, then you’re exposing the government business to what’s collected by the applications that are on it,” he said.

Experts have warned that TikTok poses a risk because the app is owned by Chinese company ByteDance.

Mr Potter, who has briefed the Pentagon on the risks of TikTok as recently as this month, said it would not be possible to eliminate the risk posed by using TikTok on a device used for government work.

“If you’ve got TikTok on there, you’ve increased the security risk of that information being looked at,” he said.

Mr Hoenig’s spokeswoman said the Minister “works in accordance with the IT policies of the Premier’s Department and parliament”.

“Like various news organisations and government agencies, I believe it’s important to speak to everyone in NSW,” Mr Hoenig said.

“All appropriate processes have been followed in relation to this account and it is managed on a personal device.”

Mr Hoenig is not the only Minister to have a TikTok account: Rose Jackson, who has the Youth portfolio, is prolific on the platform.

Ms Jackson said she took strict security measures for her TikTok account, including only using the app on a “separate, personal device”.

“No NSW Government email or other official content is managed on this personal device,” she said.

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