In early 2023 Norway was debating whether politicians should have TikTok on their government phones. TV2 asked me to weigh in: Disse politikerne har TikTok på telefonen.
My take is that the interesting question is not whether TikTok is uniquely evil, but what any data-hungry app can see and where that data ends up. A social app typically has access to a lot: usage patterns, network information, contacts and other permissions you grant, and a detailed picture of your behaviour over time. That is a concern for anyone, but the calculus changes on a device used for government work.
Two things matter most. First, jurisdiction: where the company sits and which laws can compel it to hand over data. Second, the device it lives on: a personal phone is one risk decision, but a phone that touches sensitive government business is another entirely. The sensible move for high-value targets is separation, keeping the apps that harvest data off the devices that handle work that adversaries would love to see.
It is the same principle I apply everywhere: understand what access you are granting, to whom, and what the worst case looks like if that trust is misplaced.