Minister for Justice Simon Harris has said the Government is to seek fresh security advice on the use of TikTok on official devices.
It follows a decision yesterday by the European Commission and European Council to ban the video-sharing app on corporate devices used by staff and on personal devices that have official apps installed.
The decision was made over cybersecurity fears.
"We follow security advice in relation to these matters, in light of the European Commission's advice to staff and officials yesterday I am now seeking fresh advice for Government and public officials in relation to this," Mr Harris told RTÉ's News at One.
Asked about his own use of TikTok, Mr Harris said he follows security advice that he receives from the Department of Justice and the National Cyber Security Centre.
"In relation to my own usage, I follow, as you can imagine, an enhanced level of security advice which I don’t comment on but more broadly we are seeking refreshed advice, which I think is a sensible thing to do," he said.
A spokesperson for the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications said that the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) issues guidance to Government departments and office holders on the security of mobile devices but does not comment on the technical measures in place to protect official devices.
"This guidance is based on risk assessments appropriate to the circumstances and is kept under continuous review by the NCSC," the spokesperson said.
"All users of official communications devices are expected to exercise appropriate discretion in their use, and in relevant communications services in line with acceptable usage policies," they added.
TikTok, which is Chinese owned, has faced increasing scrutiny over how much access China has to user data.
Last year, the US banned the app from federal government devices, and some US politicians are trying to bring in wider restrictions.
TikTok said it was disappointed by the European Commission's decision which it described as misguided and based on fundamental misconceptions.
The company said it is continuing to enhance its approach to data security by further reducing employee access to data and minimising data flows outside of Europe.
Last week, TikTok announced plans for a second data centre in Ireland and a third in another European location.
The company will open a European Transparency and Accountability Centre in Dublin next month which it says will allow experts to see first-hand how it handles data securely.
The Irish Data Protection Commission is currently investigating data transfers to China by TikTok with the commission saying its inquiries are at an advanced stage.
