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Like the rest of the world, Facebook and its parent company, Meta, have watched TikTok's meteoric rise to prominence over the past two years. And a new report reveals just how desperate Facebook officials are to stop it.
The Washington Post reported Wednesday that Facebook hired the conservative consulting firm Targeted Victory to help whip up fear, public outrage and congressional scrutiny of TikTok. The details offer insight into what’s become something of a cold war between social media platforms — particularly Facebook — that engage in sleazy behavior to gain our trust and our time.
Here’s how the Post described Facebook’s efforts:
The campaign includes placing op-eds and letters to the editor in major regional news outlets, promoting dubious stories about alleged TikTok trends that actually originated on Facebook, and pushing to draw political reporters and local politicians into helping take down its biggest competitor.
It's no surprise Facebook is desperate to hurt TikTok's standing. Mark Zuckerberg's tech giant has faced intense scrutiny in recent years over its role in spreading disinformation, including during the 2016 election cycle. And last year, a whistleblower accused Facebook of using its algorithm to manipulate users.
As I wrote this month, multiple state attorneys general — including several Republicans — have announced a nationwide probe into the potentially harmful effects of TikTok. And let’s be clear: that probe is necessary. TikTok reportedly shares users’ data more than any other social media app. It's also faced backlash for spreading hoaxes and promoting dangerous challenges.
But the Post report cites multiple instances in which Targeted Victory sought to connect TikTok to dangerous trends actually started on Facebook. One involved vandalizing schools. Another, purportedly involving slapping teachers, appears to have been only a rumor first passed around on Facebook.
A Meta spokesperson defended the campaign, telling the Post: “We believe all platforms, including TikTok, should face a level of scrutiny consistent with their growing success.”
But obviously, that scrutiny should be about actual, not imagined, harms of TikTok.
In the coming months (years, maybe?), it will be important for TikTok’s critics, especially regulators in the government, to differentiate the specific dangers TikTok might pose from the dangers Facebook and Meta want us to think TikTok poses.
Earnest scrutiny of TikTok has always been about rooting out social media’s manipulative ways — not succumbing to that manipulation by taking Facebook’s clearly biased campaign as truth.
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