Meta blocks TikTok ads and paid links in seven countries

Meta has stopped accepting advertising from ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, across its apps in the US, Canada, Egypt, Indonesia, Japan, Thailand, and Vietnam. The rule goes further: advertisers in those markets cannot use Meta ads to send people to TikTok. That makes this more than a decision to reject a rival’s marketing budget—it cuts off a route for buying attention on Facebook and Instagram and could force brands to rethink campaigns built around TikTok destinations. Meta calls the move ordinary competitive practice, while TikTok and ByteDance had not commented. The restriction is a concrete escalation in a contest for users’ time, creators, and advertising dollars.