, China News Service, March 31. The US " Washington Post " published a long article on the 30th, revealing that the parent company of " Facebook " ( Facebook ) hired Targeted Victory, one of the largest pro-Republican consulting companies in the United States, to release news across the United States to discredit TikTok overseas version (TikTok), trying to start a nationwide campaign against TikTok.
Image source: Screenshot of the Washington Post report. After
TikTok became a short video platform that is popular among young Americans, it quickly attracted the attention of the US government and became the target of being suppressed for no reason.
The Washington Post pointed out that Targeted Victory used a variety of means to suppress TikTok, including publishing columns in major news media across the United States and letters from readers, promoting articles originating from Facebook's doubtful authenticity, and trying to attract political journalists and local politicians to help suppress its biggest competitors.
article cited an example. In February 2022, a director of Targeted Victory wrote in an email that it is necessary to "transmit the message to the outside world: Although Meta is the punching bag for the moment (the public), TikTok is the real threat, especially since this product belongs to a foreign company, but ranks first in sharing content for young people."
also emails showed that the consulting company urged partners to promote local media to tie TikTok with dangerous teenagers' hot trends to prove that the app is harmful. An employee once wrote: "It would be perfect if the story could be told on the title 'From Dance to Danger: How TikTok Becomes the Most Harmful Social Media for Children'."
The company also spread rumors, inducing media to report "a teacher slap challenge on TikTok", but it was later proved that there was no such challenge on TikTok, and the rumors started from Facebook.
The Washington Post also showed that the consulting firm slandered TikTok through media and lobbying, portraying this rapidly developing app as a major harm to American children and society. In addition, campaigners are encouraged to use TikTok's popularity to divert Meta's own privacy and antitrust issues.
article said that these naked strategies that have long been common in politics are becoming more and more eye-catching in the technology industry. In this industry, companies are competing for cultural influence, while Facebook is facing pressure to regain young users.
TikTok often exceeds Meta's popular Facebook and Instagram, making it one of the most downloaded apps in the world. Previous reports showed that Facebook researchers said teenagers spend "2-3 times" on TikTok as much as they are on Instagram, and Facebook's popularity among young people has plummeted.
In February 2022, Meta announced that Facebook has experienced negative user growth for the first time in its 18-year history. CEO Mark Zuckerber once told investors that TikTok is a huge obstacle. He also said in his opening speech at the 2020 House Antitrust Subcommittee hearing that TikTok is the "fastest-growing app."
Targeted Victory declined to answer questions about the action, saying that it had worked with Meta for many years and that the company was "proud of the work done."
Source: China News Network
