Facebook has now officially launched a new short-video streaming feature on its Instagram social media platform. The launch of the new feature comes as U.S. lawmakers are considering the possibility of banning ByteDance's TikTok platform from being used in the country.

With TikTok's U.S. operations now in jeopardy, Facebook is likely looking to lure away its content creators. The new feature, called Instagram Reels, officially became available on the Instagram App on Wednesday. Reels was launched simultaneously in more than 50 countries, including the U.S., UK, Australia, and Japan. Users can get access to the feature simply by downloading or updating their Instagram app to the latest version either on the Google Play Store or Apple App Store.

Instagram Reels is very similar to TikTok in terms of its features and functionality, albeit with slight differences. Unlike TikTok, Reels users will only be able to record and upload videos up to 15 seconds long. Reels also offers a variety of different filters and effects that can be overlaid onto recorded videos.

The new feature also allows users to select a private or public option for their videos. Those who want their videos to be exposed to as many users as possible will want to create a public profile. Publicly posted videos will be posted on Instagram's revamped Explore page for other users to see. Meanwhile, videos posted under the private option will only appear on the uploader's feed and stories.

Due to the similarities between the two apps, ByteDance had lambasted Facebook for plagiarizing its product and taking advantage of the political situation. Last week, TikTok's recently hired CEO, Kevin Mayer, accused Facebook of disguising its unfair marketing strategy as patriotism.

In response, Instagram's product director, Robby Stein, explained in a statement that Reels is an entirely different product from TikTok. He acknowledged that TikTok may have popularized the short-video streaming format but added that it was simply wrong to accuse the company of developing a copycat application.

This isn't the first time that Facebook has been accused of "copying" other online platforms. In 2016, the company was accused of being a Snapchat clone when it launched its Stories feature on its platform. In the years that followed, Stories quickly overtook Snapchat. It has since become one of the most successful features added on Facebook's platform.