KEY POINTS
- Meta has begun blocking advertising from TikTok parent ByteDance across its platforms in seven markets.
- The restriction also covers third party advertisers whose campaigns direct users to TikTok and other ByteDance services.
- Meta says it is not obliged to provide advertising services to a competitor seeking to attract users away from its platforms.
MAIN STORY
Meta Platforms has begun blocking advertisements from ByteDance, the Chinese company behind TikTok, on its platforms in seven markets, including the United States, Canada and Egypt, according to a Bloomberg report.
The restriction, which began on Thursday, also covers Indonesia, Japan, Thailand and Vietnam. It extends to third party advertisers running campaigns that direct users to TikTok and other ByteDance owned services in the affected markets, Bloomberg reported, citing Meta.
Meta said the decision was a business choice and that it was not required to provide promotional services to a direct competitor.
“We don’t have to run ads from a competitor whose goal is to pull people off our apps,” Meta spokesperson Chris Sgro said in a statement quoted by Bloomberg.
“Declining promotional services to a competitor is a normal business practice across industries. We will continue to compete on product quality and user experience,” he added.
The move comes amid competition between Meta and TikTok for users and advertising revenue. Meta operates Facebook and Instagram, while TikTok competes for audiences and advertisers through short video content.
The companies have also clashed over child safety measures. Meta has called on TikTok and Google’s YouTube to adopt protections similar to those it agreed to introduce on Facebook and Instagram following a settlement with US states over claims concerning child safety.
The settlement resolved claims against Meta; it should not be interpreted as a finding that TikTok or YouTube committed the same alleged conduct.
THE ISSUES
The advertising restriction could affect ByteDance’s ability to use Meta’s platforms to reach audiences in the seven markets. It also applies to third party advertisers whose campaigns direct users to ByteDance services, extending the restriction beyond advertising purchased directly by the Chinese company.
For Meta, the decision means declining advertising business from a competitor while maintaining that the company will compete through its products and user experience. The financial effect of the restriction has not been quantified in the reporting available.
The dispute also reflects a broader disagreement over who should bear responsibility for child safety on social media. Meta has pushed rival platforms to adopt comparable safeguards, while the companies’ individual policies and legal positions should be considered separately.
WHAT’S BEING SAID
“We don’t have to run ads from a competitor whose goal is to pull people off our apps.”
– Chris Sgro, Meta spokesperson
“Declining promotional services to a competitor is a normal business practice across industries. We will continue to compete on product quality and user experience.”
– Chris Sgro, Meta spokesperson
WHAT’S NEXT
The restriction is being implemented across the seven markets identified by Meta. The report does not specify whether the company plans to extend the ban to additional countries or how much advertising revenue may be affected.
BOTTOM LINE
Meta has restricted ByteDance advertising on its platforms in seven markets, including the US and Canada, as competition with TikTok continues. The restriction also covers third party campaigns directing users to TikTok and other ByteDance services in those countries.
Source: Bloomberg News.
