In a press release, Dreyfus informed that the mandatory order was issued under the Protective Security Policy Framework “after receiving advice from intelligence and security agencies.”

As ABC News reported, Dreyfus said the order would come into effect “as soon as possible” and explained that exemptions would only be granted with appropriate security mitigations.

Australia is the last country of the Five Eyes, an intelligence alliance comprising Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States, to ban its officials from using Chinese apps on their professional devices.

TikTok’s general manager in Australia, Lee Hunter, called the Government’s decision “disappointing” and described it as a “policy” that was “not based on facts.

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