## TikTok’s Antitrust Cameo: Ban Litigation Takes Center Stage in Meta Trial
TikTok, fresh off its own legal battles against a potential US ban, has found itself back in a Washington, DC courtroom. This time, however, the popular video-sharing app isn’t fighting for its survival. Instead, it’s playing the role of a witness in the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) antitrust trial against Meta.
Adam Presser, TikTok’s head of operations and trust and safety, testified on Wednesday, offering insights into how TikTok competes, or doesn’t, with Meta’s suite of services. The FTC’s definition of the relevant market, “personal social networking,” includes only Meta’s platforms, Snapchat, and a lesser-known app called MeWe.
Interestingly, lawyers from both the FTC and Meta leveraged filings made by TikTok in its own legal challenges against the 2024 law that mandated ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, to divest its US operations. This legislation, which faced extensions by President Trump, effectively threatened a ban on the app. Service providers faced potential penalties for supporting TikTok while Trump claimed to be working on a deal.
The FTC specifically highlighted TikTok’s arguments from its own lawsuit, likely attempting to demonstrate Meta’s market dominance and potentially anti-competitive behavior. Presser’s testimony, combined with evidence from TikTok’s prior legal battles, adds another layer of complexity to the ongoing antitrust scrutiny of Meta. The outcome of this trial could have significant implications for the competitive landscape of social media and further influence the debate surrounding TikTok’s future in the United States.
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