Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene posted a lengthy tweet bragging about her health and exercise regimen after claiming that her TV in her DC residence appears to be spying on her.
On Sunday morning, Ms Greene wrote: “Last night in my DC residence, the television turned on by itself and the screen showed someone’s laptop trying to connect to the TV.”
“Just for the record: I’m very happy. I’m also very healthy and eat well and exercise a lot. I don’t smoke and never have. I don’t take any medications. I am not vaccinated. So I’m not concerned about blood clots, heart conditions, strokes, or anything else. Nor do I have anything to hide,” Ms Greene added, possibly in a reference to the novel 1984, where residents are spied on by the state via their TVs.
“I just love my country and the people and know how much they’ve been screwed over by the corrupt people in our government and I’m not willing to be quiet about it, or willing to go along with it,” she concluded, before adding a link to a CBS News story about Smart TVs possibly spying on their users, according to the FBI.
The agency issued a warning in late 2019 saying that Smart TVs could be hacked and access could be gained to a home’s computer network.
The FBI noted that while Smart TVs are connected to the Internet, they’re often much less secure than computers and smartphones. This means that cybercriminals may use the TVs to access home routers, TechCrunch noted at the time.
“Beyond the risk that your TV manufacturer and app developers may be listening and watching you, that television can also be a gateway for hackers to come into your home,” the FBI warning said at the time.
Ms Greene was quickly mocked by Twitter users for seemingly suggesting that the government was spying on her via her TV.
“Yeah every time someone tries to access my WiFi I know that means they’re coming to kill me,” historian Kevin Kruse tweeted.
“Was the deep state trying to watch your tv shows?” Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo tweeted. “Am I the only one who doesn’t know what the tv screen looks like when it shows ‘someone’s laptop trying to connect to the TV.’ I wanted to be prepared for when I have my first psychotic break.”
“It happens all the time in apt buildings. Someone chooses the wrong tv. You say deny and move on,” Greg Gadren responded.
“Do people not know about smart tvs? I’ve accidentally tried to connect to other people’s tv in my apartment complex. It doesn’t mean I’m trying to spy, nor does it mean anything weird is happening,” one account holder said.
“You should IMPEACH THE TV,” one Twitter user said. “What is apple play for $200.”
“Have you considered an exorcism?” another account holder said.
“Are they in the room with us right now?” California Democrat Eric Swalwell joked.
“I feel like a neighbor accidentally trying to Airplay to your TV isn’t an assassination attempt?” Hayden Clarkin said.
“I am laughing so f****** hard. A neighbor trying to screen share something accidentally clicked ‘Samsung-8237’ instead of ‘Samsung-1490’ and this delusional nut job is issuing a final will and testament,” Caleb Hearon said.
