At Code, CEOs and politicians voiced concerns about TikTok's power, rapid growth, and surveillance potential, as some called for the app to be banned altogether
At the Code Conference in LA, tech and media CEOs and politicians all expressed concerns about the Chinese-owned app — as a competitor, and as a national security risk.
ForbesAlexandra S. Levine
Context & Ripple Effects
An earlier argument for country-neutral big-tech regulation treated the TikTok debate as a test for rules that could apply across national origins. The Code discussion instead concentrates political and executive attention on TikTok's Chinese ownership, competitive reach, and surveillance risk.
TikTok faces a more public challenge from political and industry figures, with outright bans entering the debate alongside concerns about surveillance and rapid growth.
Chinese ownership becomes the focal point through which TikTok's competitive position is assessed by the officials and CEOs participating at Code.
Tech and media rivals can frame competition with TikTok as a national-security issue, increasing pressure for policy responses rather than leaving the dispute to product-market competition.
Third-order effects
If the debate continues to center ownership and platform control, U.S. technology policy will face a choice between TikTok-specific restrictions and the broader, country-neutral regulatory model raised in earlier coverage.
The episode points toward platform governance in which access to a major consumer service is increasingly treated as a geopolitical question, not solely a competition or content-moderation question.
The trend: Consumer internet platforms are being evaluated through both market-power and geopolitical-control lenses, making ownership and cross-border governance central to policy debates.
also for the fiftieth time the singular, myopic hyperventilation about TikTok in a country that couldn't give any less of a shit about broader consumer privacy issues or the completely unaccountable adtech and data broker space is just dumb
@TaylorLorenz Taylor, here are my thoughts on @tiktok_us. Please explain how Tiktok works, and where I got it wrong. I will RT, and maybe we'll all learn something. Fan of your work. https://www.profgalloway.com/ ...
re: TikTok, there are obvious concerns regarding China and data security. But these are being conflated into a general moral panic. Some Gen X and even Millennial tech commentators are becoming the same sort of tech reactionaries against whom they once rebelled. https://twitter.c…
“The queen herself, Kara Swisher, big round of applause please,” Jason Calacanis called out to the assembled crowd as he kicked off an homage to the prolific tech reporter who has just wrapped her final Code conference. https://www.newcomer.co/...
Instead of focusing on broader privacy and consumer protection laws, which would affect US platforms like FB, people like Scott scapegoat and fear monger over TikTok. It's an intentional distraction from real, comprehensive data/privacy reform and ppl should see it for what it is…
@profgalloway @tiktok_us Instead of stoking moral panic about TikTok destroying democracy or poisoning children's minds (while Facebook and other US based platforms continue to wreak havoc), let's talk about the real issues like comprehensive data privacy reform etc. https://twit…
It's really wild to see the entire industry and even politicians now arrayed against TikTok. It goes to show how much complaints about “big tech” are often indistinguishable from complaining about a company's success. To win, others lose. That's how competition works. QED. https:…
@profgalloway @tiktok_us I would love to have a real convo abt this because I think ur TikTok take prevents us from discussing real, broader issues in the tech landscape. Def too much to fit in a tweet, but there's zero evidence China is pushing propaganda on TT nor is there evid…
My take on Kara Swisher's last Code. With reactions to @karaswisher interviews with @mcuban @tim_cook @sundarpichai @evanspiegel @AswathDamodaran @ajassy @GavinNewsom @PeteButtigieg @amyklobuchar https://www.newcomer.co/...
TikTok ‘invested billions and billions and billions of dollars in user acquisition...a totally different strategy than any technology company before’ according to Evan Spiegel. https://www.forbes.com/...
“Why would we allow TikTok to play such a dominant role in our free market economy?” - #Doepfner Feels strange to talk about a “free market” and not allow someone to participate (except for sanctioned countries & illegal operations of course). https://www.forbes.com/...
TikTok is on the minds of the American social media giants. Even though it wasn't at Code this year, @Ali_Lev reports that the company is all anyone could talk about, from Evan Spiegel to Sundar Pichai to Jen Psaki and Amy Klobuchar. https://www.forbes.com/...
The SV zeitgeist + Scott have collectively turned on TikTok. It happened at Code this week. Facebook must love it, it feeds their national security, national champions narrative they've been wanting so badly. https://twitter.com/...
From Code in LA, where no one can stop talking about TikTok: “There's been two major themes so far: The first is Tik, the second is Tok,” @profgalloway joked last night while interviewing Snap CEO Evan Spiegel. #codecon #code2022 https://www.forbes.com/...
TikTok's Secret To Explosive Growth? ‘Billions And Billions Of Dollars’ Says Snap CEO Evan Spiegel “...The reason why this has been so challenging for companies to respond to in the U.S, but also around the world, is the scale of TikTok's investment” https://www.forbes.com/...