Ilhan Omar, a Democratic Representative from Minnesota in US, is dealing with an ethics grievance over her use of Chinese app TikTok for each official and political functions.
According to a New York Post report, the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT) filed a grievance on Thursday with the Office of Congressional Ethics, citing Omar’s alleged violation of House guidelines. The grievance claims that Omar ignored warnings about potential information sharing with the Chinese authorities when she used the app. The Beijing-based firm ByteDance Ltd is the proprietor of TikTok.
Also Read | US spy company cyber chief warns TikTok is China’s ‘Trojan Horse’
“Along with this political content, she has also made posts that used official government resources, including C-SPAN footage from the House floor, what appears to be a cell phone video recorded on the House floor, and an interview from what appears to be in her House office,” added the grievance, addressed to chief House ethics counsel Omar Ashmawy.
Also Read | ‘US lawmakers to move forward with TikTok bill’: House speaker Kevin McCarthy
According to the grievance filed by the FACT, Ilhan Omar allegedly violated federal legislation by utilizing her TikTok account for political functions. The grievance alleges that Omar made a number of overtly political posts on the app, together with urging viewers to assist Democratic candidates, messaging Democrats volunteering for campaigns, and sharing movies of her campaigning and attending marketing campaign occasions.
The grievance additional alleges that Omar flouted the rule of “strict separation” between marketing campaign and official duties, which is required by federal legislation for members of Congress. The grievance cites practically a dozen of Omar’s posts on TikTok as proof.
TikTok has been underneath scrutiny over safety considerations, with each the House Committee on House Administration and the White House ordering its removing from authorities units as a result of worries over potential espionage.
Despite these considerations, over 30 members of Congress nonetheless keep TikTok accounts, elevating bipartisan considerations that China’s authorities might acquire information from 100 million US customers by the app. Recently, the CEO of TikTok, Shou Zi Chew, confronted questioning by the House Energy and Commerce Committee about his firm’s hyperlinks to China.
Source web site: www.hindustantimes.com
