MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th July, 2020) Facebook is set to launch Instagram Reels application, its answer to Chinese social network Tiktok, in over 50 countries, including the United States, the NBC broadcaster reported on Thursday, citing sources familiar with the matter.
Instagram Reels has already been launched in Brazil, France, Germany and more recently in India, where Facebook's app became available just days after New Delhi banned TikTok, among other Chinese applications.
Just like TikTok, Facebook's app also allows users to make and share 15-second video clips. Other features of Instagram Reels are also almost identical to those of TikTok.
According to NBC's sources, who were not authorized to speak publicly, Instagram Reels will be launched in the US, the United Kingdom, Japan and Mexico, among 50 countries. The app will be available in the US reportedly in early August.
The news comes while TikTok is facing increased scrutiny in the US over privacy concerns. US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have confirmed that Washington was weighing a ban on the Chinese app.
