House panel seeks social media data on FBI threats made after Trump search

20/8/2022 6:10

        U.S. Democratic lawmakers on Friday asked social media platforms to turn over data regarding an increase in online threats aimed at law enforcement following a search of former President Donald Trump's Florida home and asked how they planned to respond.
        
        House Oversight Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney and Stephen Lynch, Chairman of the Subcommittee on National Security, urged chief executives to act fast in letters addressed to eight internet companies, including Facebook-parent Meta Platforms Inc., Twitter Inc. and TikTok.
        
        The requests come more than a week after a Columbus man was shot dead in a standoff with police after he tried to breach an FBI building in Ohio. Last week the FBI and U.S Department of Homeland Security alerted law enforcement agencies of an increase in threats.
        
        The Democrats want to know if the uptick in online threats was linked to what they described as "reckless statements" issued by Trump and Republicans condemning the search.