‘I will no longer be using TikTok’: Minns declares ban on app

The New South Wales premier has followed Victoria in deleting his TikTok account, declaring a ban across the public sector.

Chris Minns has revealed he will delete his TikTok account as the NSW government moves to remove the app on government-issued devices.

The move follows advice from the federal government over concerns the app could be used by the Chinese government so spy on officials.

“I will no longer be using TikTok,” Mr Minns said.

“I have asked for Cyber Security NSW to issue advice to NSW government employees, to implement this change as soon as possible.”

Chris Minns said the ban on government-issued devices would be implemented ‘as soon as possible’. Picture: Dan Himbrechts/ NCA NewsWire.

NSW Premier Chris Minns has deleted his Tik Tok account. Picture: Tik Tok

Victorian premier Daniel Andrews announced a similar move on Tuesday morning, with both state government officials and public servants expected to discontinue use of the app.

Mr Minns said there would be exceptions to the New South Wales ban in cases where the app is needed for “legitimate business reasons”, such as public health and safety messaging.

“The NSW Government will be implementing a number of mitigations to ensure that the security risk of this use is managed appropriately,” he said.

TikTok has denied the app has been used by China to spy on Australian officials. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Tim Pascoe

The federal government’s TikTok ban on government devices comes after similar initiatives in the US and UK, despite the app’s owner, ByteDance, adamantly denying allegations of spying.

“If confirmed, we are extremely disappointed by this decision, which, in our view, is driven by politics, not fact,” TikTok said in a statement.

“We are also disappointed that TikTok, and the millions of Australians who use it, were left to learn of this decision through the media despite our repeated offers to engage with the government constructively about this policy.”