• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Towleroad
  • Towleroad on Social Media
  • Privacy Policy

Towleroad Gay News

Gay Blog Towleroad: More than gay news | gay men

  • Travel
  • Sports
  • Law/Justice
  • Celebrities
  • Republicans
  • Madonna
  • Books
  • Men
  • Trans Rights
  • Royals
  • Monkeypox
  • Sophia Bush’s girlfriend ‘proud’ the actress has opened up about coming out as queer
  • Mel B declares she’ll ‘always be open’ when it comes to her sexuality!
  • Megan Thee Stallion being sued for ‘forcing cameraman watch her having lesbian sex!’

Facebook’s Meta funded attack campaign against TikTok: report

Towleroad March 31, 2022 Leave a Comment

Published by
AFP
Facebook owner Meta faced questions about a reported campaign to denigrate rival TikTok

New York (AFP) – Facebook's owner Meta has hired a consulting firm to carry out a US campaign denigrating its fierce rival TikTok, according to a Washington Post report Wednesday partially confirmed by AFP.

The campaign reportedly includes placing letters in major US news outlets and promoting negative stories about TikTok, allegedly using the type of tough tactics familiar to Washington politics.

Meta, which shed hundreds of billions in value earlier this year due to doubts about its future, is in a pitched fight against the video sharing platform popular with young social media fans.

“We believe all platforms, including TikTok, should face a level of scrutiny consistent with their growing success,” Meta told AFP in a one-line statement in response to the article.

The consulting firm, Targeted Victory, confirmed having worked for Meta and did not deny having put forward negative information about TikTok.

“We're proud of the work we've done to highlight the dangers of TikTok,” the firm's CEO Zac Moffatt tweeted.

Employees at Targeted Victory worked to undermine TikTok, which is owned by Chinese company ByteDance, by promoting an effort to have it portrayed as a danger to American children, the Post reported, citing the firm's internal emails.

The Post quoted one message saying Targeted Victory needed to “get the message out that while Meta is the current punching bag, TikTok is the real threat especially as a foreign owned app that is #1 in sharing data that young teens are using.”

One effort reportedly included getting parents to sign on to letters raising concerns that were submitted to US newspapers, some of which published them. 

Targeted Victory also alerted elected officials and journalists to alleged trends on TikTok that encouraged students to vandalize their school premises, known as “devious licks” or the “slap a teacher” challenge. 

The “challenge” urging young users to attack teachers did not start on TikTok, but on Facebook, according to an investigation by the “Reply All” podcast, with the investigator unable to find any videos on this topic on TikTok.

“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,” TikTok told AFP in a statement.

Moffatt, the Targeted Victory CEO, also argued the Post article “mischaracterizes the work we do,” citing examples including the characterization of people who signed the letters sent to newspapers.

“The story infers that the words of the letters to the editor were not the authors' own, nor did they know of Meta's involvement. That is false,” he tweeted. 

When contacted by AFP, the people cited as signing the latters did not respond to requests for comment. 

Topics: Aaon, towleroad More Posts About: TikTok

Related Posts
  • Police Pursue LGBTQ TikTokers; Condemn Viral Trend Video as ‘Unnatural’, ‘Criminal’. It’s Nigeria, So ‘Of Course’ These are Not Idle Threats
  • First Trans Model to Walk Lagos Fashion Shows Has Drowned. Fola Francis Was a Designer, LGBTQ Activist, And “Beacon of Hope” To Many
  • In the US, LGBTQ young people of color report feeling safest on TikTok
  • Mel B declares she’ll ‘always be open’ when it comes to her sexuality!

    Mel B declares she’ll ‘always be open’ when it comes to her sexuality!

    Published by BANG Showbiz English Mel B will “always be open” when it comes to her sexuality. The Spice Girls singer, 48, who reunited with her bandmates including the group's ex-singer Victoria Beckham for the fashion …Read More »
  • Megan Thee Stallion being sued for ‘forcing cameraman watch her having lesbian sex!’

    Megan Thee Stallion being sued for ‘forcing cameraman watch her having lesbian sex!’

    Published by BANG Showbiz English Megan Thee Stallion is being sued for allegedly creating a hostile work environment and forcing her cameraman to watch her having lesbian sex. The 29-year-old ‘Savage' rapper faces the salacious claims …Read More »
  • Mean Girls star Jonathan Bennett recalls the moment his life ‘changed forever’

    Mean Girls star Jonathan Bennett recalls the moment his life ‘changed forever’

    Published by BANG Showbiz English Jonathan Bennett's life was “changed forever” by his role in ‘Mean Girls'. The 42-year-old actor starred as heartthrob Aaron Samuels in the 2004 cult classic – which followed Lindsay Lohan, Rachel …Read More »
  • Sir Elton John sent Lance Bass gift basket to celebrate coming out

    Sir Elton John sent Lance Bass gift basket to celebrate coming out

    Published by BANG Showbiz English Sir Elton John sent Lance Bass a gift basket after he came out as gay. The 44-year-old NSYNC star revealed the legendary singer showed his support when Lance decided to reveal …Read More »
Previous Post: « Katy Perry launching Elizabeth Taylor podcast
Next Post: Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s Hair Transformation, Expert Speaks Out »

Primary Sidebar

Most Recent

  • Sophia Bush’s girlfriend ‘proud’ the actress has opened up about coming out as queer

    Sophia Bush’s girlfriend ‘proud’ the actress has opened up about coming out as queer

  • Mel B declares she’ll ‘always be open’ when it comes to her sexuality!

    Mel B declares she’ll ‘always be open’ when it comes to her sexuality!

  • Megan Thee Stallion being sued for ‘forcing cameraman watch her having lesbian sex!’

    Megan Thee Stallion being sued for ‘forcing cameraman watch her having lesbian sex!’

  • Mean Girls star Jonathan Bennett recalls the moment his life ‘changed forever’

    Mean Girls star Jonathan Bennett recalls the moment his life ‘changed forever’

  • Sir Elton John sent Lance Bass gift basket to celebrate coming out

    Sir Elton John sent Lance Bass gift basket to celebrate coming out

  • Relationship status influences heterosexual women’s sexual prejudice towards lesbians

    Relationship status influences heterosexual women’s sexual prejudice towards lesbians

  • JoJo Siwa had a challenge transitioning to new grown-up image

    JoJo Siwa had a challenge transitioning to new grown-up image

  • Liz Hurley defends lesbian sex scene in new movie that was directed by her son

    Liz Hurley defends lesbian sex scene in new movie that was directed by her son

Partner Links

  • Prabal Gurung shares with “CBS Mornings” his personal journey in new memoir, “Walk Like a Girl”
    Hi everyone! My blog underwent a much-needed WordPress upgrade but I’m […]
  • Chuck Schumer Puts Hold On Trump DOJ Nominees Over Qatar's Luxury Jet Bribe
    Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told the press he is placing […]
  • Old Sleepy Don: Trump Caught Dozing Off In Saudi Arabia
    Donald J. Trump landed in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday and is […]
  • Jon Stewart Calls Trump 'Reverse Oprah' Over Qatar Jet
    Jon Stewart doesn't hold back as he calls out Trump for […]
  • OMG, he’s naked: Moritz Rauch goes full frontal in trailer for short film ‘Das Schiffbruch-Triptychon: Meuterei’
    Moritz Rauch frontal in trailer for short movie Das Schiffbruch-Triptychon: Meuterei […]

Most Commented

Social

Twitter @tlrd | Facebook | Instagram @tlrd

About

  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Towleroad
  • Towleroad on Social Media
  • Privacy Policy
[towleroadmr] [towleroadtn]

Footer

Ptown Hacks 2018

Read

  • Travel
  • Film
  • Law – LGBT Rights
  • Columns
  • Specials

About

  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Towleroad
  • Towleroad on Social Media
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2025 · Log in

×
×