United States: Instagram is considering launching its short-form video feature, Reels, as a separate app, according to a new report by The Information. The potential move comes as the future of TikTok in the US remains pending.
Instagram chief Adam Mosseri reportedly discussed the idea with staff this week, though the company has not made any official announcement. Meta, Instagram’s parent company, has yet to respond to media inquiries regarding the report.
The uncertainty encircling TikTok stems from ongoing regulatory pressure in the US. In January, former President Donald Trump gave TikTok a 75-day extension to comply with a law originally signed by then-President Joe Biden. The legislation requires the platform’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, to sell its US operations or face a ban. While Trump had floated the idea of a 50-50 joint venture between the US and ByteDance, no concrete details were provided.
The Biden administration has long raised anxieties that TikTok could be exploited by the Chinese government for surveillance and political influence. However, critics of a potential ban claim that restricting TikTok would infringe on free speech rights, given its massive US user base of 170 million people.
Meta has previously tried to challenge TikTok’s dominance. In 2018, the company launched Lasso, a short-video app meant to rival TikTok, but it was eventually shut down. The latest discussions around a standalone Reels app indicate Meta’s continued push to maintain its position in the short-form video market.
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