The Norwegian Justice Ministry said that government officials should not install TikTok or Telegram applications on their work devices due to security concerns.

“National Security Agency (NSM) considers that TikTok or Telegram should not be installed on public employees' service units that are connected to the internal digital infrastructure or services,” the ministry said in a statement

The ministry stated that “It also means that political leadership and employees in the ministries and their subordinate enterprises are advised against having Tiktok and Telegram on service units.”

“I support NSM's assessment. Therefore, the Ministry of Justice and Emergency Preparedness will today send a letter to all ministries in which we advise against having TikTok and Telegram on service units. If there is an operational need to have these apps, it should be on a separate device that is not connected to the company's digital systems,” said Justice Minister Emilie Enger Mehl.

“In its open threat assessment "Focus 2023", the intelligence service points to Russia and China as the main threat actors against Norwegian security interests. They also point out that social media is a favorable arena for the actors who want to influence us through disinformation and fake news,” Mehl added.

The United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, the European Union's Commission, and Parliament have so far banned TikTok from all devices used by their employees for work. (ILKHA)