Facebook reverts to traditional smear tactics against TikTok

When Facebook hired a prominent public relations firm to attempt to plant stories in leading news outlets harshly criticising Google’s privacy practises, the company was caught red-handed eleven years ago. As part of its opposition research.

It hired the public relations firm Definers in 2018 to conduct interviews with the company’s critics, who included billionaire philanthropist George Soros.

In his resignation letter, Elliot Schrage, former head of communications at Facebook, accepted responsibility for approving the hiring of Definers and other similar firms on Facebook’s behalf. 

It was reported Tuesday by the Washington Post that Meta, Facebook’s parent company, is pursuing another rival, TikTok, with tactics similar to those used against Instagram. TikTok has reportedly been targeted by Meta, a Republican consulting firm, which has hired Targeted Victory to “orchestrate a nationwide campaign” against it. 

Trained public relations professionals from dozens of firms across the country were hired by Targeted Victory to “influence public opinion against TikTok” by planting local news stories and assisting in the placement of op-eds critical of the app, according to the Post. 

spokesman Andy Stone said in a statement that “we believe that all platforms, including TikTok, should be subjected to appropriate scrutiny in light of their increasing popularity.” 

CEO Zac Moffatt stated that the company “manages bipartisan teams on behalf of our clients,” according to Targeted Victory’s website. 

“It is well-known that we have collaborated with Meta for several years and that we are proud of our achievements,” he said in a prepared statement. 

Internal Targeted Victory emails obtained by The Washington Post detailed a campaign to destabilise TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance and is used by millions of people worldwide.

The firm attempted to sway public and political opinion against TikTok by using a combination of “real concerns and unfounded fears” about the app. 

Tried to get “proactive coverage” of Facebook in the local media, including “submitting letters and opinion pieces extolling Facebook’s role in, for example, supporting Black-owned businesses,” according to Targeted Victory. 

We are extremely concerned that stoking local media reports about alleged trends on the platform that have not been verified may result in real-world harm, according to a statement from TikTok sent to TechCrunch.

Published by : Aditya Andharia 

Edited By : Kritika Kashyap