Facebook will launch its own version of popular video app TikTok in a few weeks, NBC News reports.
Sources told the network that Facebook is planning to reveal “Instagram Reels,” its response to TikTok, in the U.S., U.K., Japan, Mexico and about 50 countries in the coming weeks.
Instagram Reels has been in the works for over a year, according to sources. Its debut comes as TikTok faces criticism from White House officials, lawmakers and tech companies over concerns on how the Chinese app, owned by ByteDance, handles user data.
Some White House officials have threatened to ban the app. They have expressed concerns that TikTok is sharing data with the Chinese government. TikTok denies the allegations.
Similar to TikTok, Instagram Reels lets users post and share 15-second video clips set to different music selections. Video posters also can use audio from other people’s videos. Clips can go viral in a "Featured Reels" section that highlights the most popular videos. Reels will be available in the Instagram app via a new icon that will appear at the bottom of the screen. Instagram users can share reels in their “stories” as well.
Reels debuted in Brazil last November and expanded to France and Germany last month, according to NBC News. Last week, it launched in India right after India banned TikTok.
Last fall, the U.S. Committee on Foreign Investment opened an investigation into ByteDance and its 2017 acquisition of Musical.ly, the company it used to bring TikTok to the U.S.
If the committee shows that TikTok was sharing data with the Chinese government, it could try to force ByteDance to sell Musical.ly, which would eliminate TikTok's U.S. business.
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