The Government Information Security Office has issued a recommendation urging Slovenian civil servants not to use the social networking platform TikTok on their work phones due to cybersecurity concerns.

The guidance is based on analyses of Slovenian and foreign organisations, in particular those responsible for cybersecurity, the office wrote in a memo obtained by the STA.

The memo notes concerns about TikTok collecting data from its users.

While many social network apps require permissions to control and access device data, TikTok is more "persistent in obtaining them", the office warned.

Employees of the company ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, can access user data, which has been abused in the past, the memo reads.

It raises concerns about propaganda activities and attempts to influence public opinion.

"Abused social network profiles can be used to distribute malevolent software or direct users to malevolent or fake websites," reads the memo.

The guidance comes after TikTok has been banned from staff devices in all three of the EU's main institutions and in public administration in the US and Canada.

Many EU countries have issued similar warnings and recommendations.