According to The Washington Post, Meta, Facebook's parent company, has hired the business Targeted Victory to push unfavorable news of the shortform video app.
TikTok said on Wednesday that a campaign paid for by Meta, Facebook's parent company, to boost unfavorable coverage of the shortform social platform in local media was "very concerning."
According to The Washington Post, Meta has engaged Targeted Victory, a "right of center" marketing firm, to spearhead a campaign that includes publishing op-eds and letters to the editor in local papers to boost anti-TikTok sentiment, particularly among children who use the app.
“We 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,” Hilary McQuaide, a spokesperson for TikTok, said.
Representatives for Meta and Targeted Victory have not responded to inquiries from THR on whether the campaign is ongoing in light of the Post‘s reporting. But Zac Moffatt, the CEO of Targeted Victory, said in a statement that the firm has worked with Meta for “several years” and “manages bipartisan teams on behalf of [their] clients.” The executive also noted in a series of tweets Wednesday that critical coverage of purported trends and challenges on TikTok have also been published in the Post.
Meta, meanwhile, has defended its involvement in the anti-TikTok campaign. “We believe all platforms, including TikTok, should face a level of scrutiny consistent with their growing success,” Andy Stone, a spokesperson for Meta, said in a separate statement.
