This archive report was first published on 5 August 2020.
On Wednesday, Instagram, owned by Facebook, launched 'Reels', a feature that allows users to record and edit short-form videos of up to 15 seconds.
According to the company, 'Reels invites you to create fun videos to share with your friends or anyone on Instagram.'
The move comes as US President Donald Trump has threatened to ban TikTok in the United States on national security grounds, giving it until the middle of September to work out a takeover deal with Microsoft or another suitor.
Trump has also demanded that the US government receive a large share of any TikTok purchase price, a move that has been criticized as unconstitutional and akin to extortion.
Reels is launching in more than 50 countries, including Australia, Brazil, Britain, France, Germany, India, Japan, and the United States.
Facebook's move to copy features from rival online services has come under scrutiny in recent weeks, with the company's chief executive Mark Zuckerberg and the heads of Apple, Google, and Amazon being grilled by a US congressional antitrust committee.
