Facebook's parent firm, Meta, reportedly paid for a campaign that puts the image of the China-based video-sharing firm TikTok in a bad light as the latter gets rapidly popular.
This illustration photo taken in Los Angeles on October 28, 2021, shows a person using Facebook on a smartphone in front of a computer screen showing the META logo. - Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday announced the parent company's name is being changed to "Meta" to represent a future beyond just its troubled social network.
Facebook Meta's Anti-TikTok Campaign
As per a news story by Business Insider, the report comes after The Washington Post obtained emails that unraveled the moves of the political marketing firm, Targeted Victory, to spread anti-TikTok sentiments.
The Post further reported that the parent company of Facebook, Meta, funded the anti-TikTok campaign, wherein letters to the editor and op-eds have been spread out into various local news outlets.
The leaked emails also showed the director of Targeted Victory, himself, detailing their goal to spread the message that TikTok is the real threat. It comes as the exec said that Facebook has become the "current punching bag."
This photograph taken on October 28, 2021 shows the META logo on a laptop screen in Moscow as Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg announced the parent company's name is being changed to "Meta" to represent a future beyond just its troubled social network. - The new handle comes as the social media giant tries to fend off one its worst crises yet and pivot to its ambitions for the "metaverse" virtual reality..
The report from the Post alleges that the political marketing firm has successfully planted negative TikTok sentiments in various media outlets-both small regional outlets and mainstream platforms.
Business Insider noted in its story that it was reported in mainstream outlets that various dangerous trends, such as the "devious licks" challenge and "Slap a Teacher" challenge, originated from TikTok-when, in fact, these trends came from Facebook.
On top of that, the Post also shared emails that reportedly came from a staff of Targeted Victory, saying that the ideal headline for them is "From dances to danger: how TikTok has become the most harmful social media space for kids."
Facebook, Targeted Victory Response
Meanwhile, the spokesperson of Facebook, Andy Stone, said in a statement to Business Insider that they "believe all platforms, including TikTok, should face a level of scrutiny consistent with their growing success."
On the other hand, the CEO of the marketing firm that Meta hired, Zac Moffatt, stated on Twitter that Targeted Victory is proud of the work that they have done for Facebook, noting that they have been collaborating for some time now.
TikTok: 'Deeply Concerned'
According to a recent report by The Hollywood Reporter, the spokesperson of TikTok, Hilary McQuaide, also issued a statement regarding the latest email leaks.
This illustration picture taken on May 27, 2020 in Paris shows the logo of the social network application Tik Tok on the screen of a phone. (Photo by Martin BUREAU / AFP)
The TikTok spokesperson said that they "are deeply concerned that the stoking of local media reports on alleged trends that have not been found on the platform could cause real world harm."
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Written by Teejay Boris
