Norway’s justice minister has apologized for misinforming parliament about using TikTok on his work phone. Emilie Enger Mehl, 29, admitted last fall that she had the popular video app on her phone for about a month. Earlier, she had claimed that she could not answer parliamentary questions for security reasons.
TikTok is owned by Bytedance, a Chinese company, and there are concerns in many Western countries about China’s impact on the fast-growing app. Chinese employees also have access to European users’ TikTok data, and late last year Bytedance employees were revealed to be spying on American journalists.
As early as September, there were questions about the minister’s use of TikTok. Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet reported that it shared photos and videos of official events attended by Enger Mehl on TikTok. Then the question arose whether China could access sensitive government information due to the minister’s use of TikTok.
“It took too long”
The opposition called Enger Mehl an idiot because as Minister of Justice he should have known better. Enger Mehl claimed to have consulted his ministry before installing the video app. A week ago, he admitted that the app is actually on his work phone.
The Minister of Justice admitted that it took too long to open. “I should have mentioned this earlier. I’m sorry that things turned out this way. “Looking back, I realize I had to be open about having TikTok on a government mobile,” he said.
Source: NOS
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
