Washington, DC [US], January 15 : A former TikTok executive has claimed that she was required to sign an oath supporting China's "socialist system" and national interests, according to a lawsuit and documents obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
The Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party has also condemned this act on X and stated, "BREAKING: Documents And Recordings Reveal How TikTok Forced Staff To Swear Oaths To Uphold China's 'Socialist System' "TikTok's supposed independence is a fraud... ByteDance directly manages TikTok's internal functions from China."
According to The Daily Caller, Katie Puris, who worked as TikTok's head of global brand and creative, alleged that her employer, along with its Chinese parent company ByteDance and its subsidiary Douyin, discriminated against her based on gender and age.
In the lawsuit, Puris said she was forced to sign an agreement with Douyin, TikTok's China-based sister company, that required her to pledge allegiance to China's socialist system and avoid actions that could harm the country's "national honor" or "ethnic unity," as reported by the Daily Caller.
The document also demanded that employees not reveal "state secrets" or engage in activities that could undermine China's policies. Puris claimed the agreement also prohibited employees from spreading "meaningless information" or trying to bypass China's strict censorship rules.
This legal battle comes at a time when TikTok is under intense scrutiny in the US due to concerns about its ties to the Chinese government. The Supreme Court is set to decide whether a law signed by US President Joe Biden, which could force ByteDance to sell TikTok or face a ban, is constitutional. The case has sparked heated debate about national security, with some lawmakers arguing that TikTok's operations are heavily influenced by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Michigan Representative John Moolenaar called for the company to be forced to divest, claiming that TikTok's supposed independence is misleading. TikTok has denied the allegations, with a spokesperson stating they cannot comment on false claims meant to push a political agenda.
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