Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, announced a ban on advertising from ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, across its platforms in 7 countries, effective immediately from October 8. The measure covers the United States, Canada, Egypt, Indonesia, Japan, Thailand and Vietnam, and also applies to outside advertisers who buy ads to draw users to TikTok and other ByteDance services in these countries. A Meta spokesperson said the company is not obliged to open its ad space to competitors seeking to pull users away from its platforms, and stressed that refusing to provide advertising services to competitors is a common business practice, adding that Meta will continue to compete on product quality and user experience. Earlier, in August, Meta called on TikTok and YouTube to raise protections for teenage users along the lines of the approach Meta agreed with various U.S. states after facing allegations that social media harms children, which led to a settlement worth up to 18 billion dollars. TikTok, meanwhile, reached a settlement with the state of Alabama in September, agreeing to add usage restrictions and strengthen age verification of users.
Meta Platforms Inc.Meta bans ByteDance/TikTok advertising across its platforms in 7 countries, blocking a rival from pulling users away from its services.
