Watchdog Group Alleges Democrat Lawmaker Violated House Ethics Rules Using TikTok

The Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT), a nonprofit watchdog, has accused Rep. Jeff Jackson (D-N.C.) of violating House ethics rules while using TikTok.

In a letter sent on April 10 (pdf), Kendra Arnold, the executive director of FACT, urged the Office of Congressional Ethics to investigate whether Jackson had used the social media app in a way that violated the rules and misused official resources for political purposes.

The letter expressed security concerns about TikTok, which boasts over a billion active monthly users, and is owned by ByteDance, a company with ties to the Chinese Communist Party. Several U.S. government entities, such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Communications Commission, have cautioned against using the app due to privacy issues, including potential sharing of data such as biometric identification, browsing history, and location with the Chinese government. The Justice Department and the FBI are said to be investigating if TikTok spied on U.S. journalists and citizens.

The letter included screenshots of Jackson, a freshman lawmaker with 1.6 million followers on TikTok, campaigning on the app and allegedly breaching House ethics rules by using content from the House floor while on the platform. The screenshots display a mix of campaign videos and footage of his time in Congress.

According to Arnold, Jackson flouted House ethics rules by having campaign and official acts unduly mixed up. Federal law and House rules require a strict separation between both.