❯ Meta bans ByteDance from advertising in the US and six other countries, also blocking third-party ads that link to TikTok

No more ads from a rivalAccording to Bloomberg, Meta began on October 8 a complete restriction on ads and paid marketing messages placed on its platforms by ByteDance. The ban takes effect in seven countries: the US, Canada, Egypt, Indonesia, Japan, Thailand and Vietnam. It also covers third-party advertisers running campaigns that link to TikTok and other ByteDance properties.

Meta calls it normal business practiceMeta spokesperson Chris Sgro said in a statement: “We don’t have to run ads from a competitor whose goal is to pull people off our apps.” He said declining promotional services to a competitor is a normal practice across industries and that Meta will keep competing on product quality and user experience.

Child safety lit the fuseBloomberg said the rivalry heated up in August, when Meta agreed to an $18 billion settlement with US states requiring new safety features for minors on Instagram and Facebook, and has since pressed TikTok and YouTube to make similar commitments. Last month TikTok removed dedicated Instagram links from user profiles and rejected ads from Meta demanding comparable concessions.

One acquisition channel fewerApps commonly win new users by advertising on other platforms. After the ban, ByteDance can no longer advertise through Facebook and Instagram in these seven markets, and its budget has to move elsewhere. Third-party advertisers driving traffic to TikTok shops and accounts are caught as well; they are not Meta’s competitors, yet they lose the same channel.

▮ SIGNALSocial platforms used to advertise on one another and trade traffic; now they are shutting their doors to each other, and the cost of moving users between apps will rise with it.