Forbes’ Emily Baker-White on the Superpower Struggle to Control TikTok

Schedule

Thu Oct 09 2025 at 05:30 pm to 06:30 pm

UTC-07:00

Location

The Commonwealth Club | San Francisco, CA

Advertisement
Inside the struggle as hawks in Congress push TikTok to the brink while the U.S. government seeks backdoor access to observe & influence it.
About this Event

With TikTok's 1.6 billion active users worldwide and unprecedented power it wields over culture, politics, and commerce, the social video app's addictive algorithm is one of the greatest prized in America’s technological cold war with China.

How did this social media platform become so wildly popular and a source of contention in international politics?

In her book Every Screen on the Planet, Harvard-trained lawyer and investigative journalist Emily Baker-White charts TikTok’s rise from the Chinese founders’ ambitions to its emergence as the world’s most valuable startup―and a potential surveillance and propaganda tool for strongmen―to the dramatic events surrounding its ban and tenuous resurrection in January 2025.

Come hear about the reporting that caused TikTok to track the author and led to an ongoing criminal investigation. Baker-White’s engrossing narrative takes us inside the struggle as hawks in Congress push the company to the brink while the U.S. government seeks backdoor access to observe and influence TikTok’s data stream. Touching on politics, finance, business, and technology, she explains that the war for TikTok will either create a blueprint for autocrats to warp our information landscape or close the open internet as we know it.

SPEAKERS

Emily Baker-White, Reporter, Forbes; Former Criminal Defender; previously led the Plain View Project investigation into police misconduct on Facebook

Moderator TBA

5 p.m. doors open & check-in5:30–6:30 p.m. program6:30 p.m. book signing(all times Pacific Time)

Advertisement

Where is it happening?

The Commonwealth Club, 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, United States

Event Location & Nearby Stays:

Tickets

USD 27.33

Inforum at the Commonwealth Club

Host or Publisher Inforum at the Commonwealth Club

It's more fun with friends. Share with friends

Discover More Events in San Francisco

Spatial Composition - The New Frontier
Thu, 09 Oct at 05:00 pm Spatial Composition - The New Frontier

1275 Market St

LIVE-MUSIC ART
Valencia Live - Immersive Clay Evening
Thu, 09 Oct at 05:00 pm Valencia Live - Immersive Clay Evening

RedBrick Ceramic Studio

NONPROFIT WORKSHOPS
Out in Tech SF Bay Area | LGBTQ+ History Lecture & Mixer @ Bain Capital
Thu, 09 Oct at 05:00 pm Out in Tech SF Bay Area | LGBTQ+ History Lecture & Mixer @ Bain Capital

Bain Capital

LGBT-PRIDE NONPROFIT
San Francisco Real Esate Investors Mixer
Thu, 09 Oct at 05:00 pm San Francisco Real Esate Investors Mixer

DACHA Kitchen & Bar

Ocean Ale House MONTHLY BLUES JAM: Special Guest ANNA TROY
Thu, 09 Oct at 06:00 pm Ocean Ale House MONTHLY BLUES JAM: Special Guest ANNA TROY

Ocean Ale House

MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
Film & Art Fundraiser - Sponsored by Proud Stutter
Thu, 09 Oct at 06:00 pm Film & Art Fundraiser - Sponsored by Proud Stutter

340 Fell Street

ART ENTERTAINMENT
MINOR SERVICE WORKSHOP
Thu, 09 Oct at 06:00 pm MINOR SERVICE WORKSHOP

849 13th Street, San Francisco, CA

WORKSHOPS PERFORMANCES
Mary Roach: Adventures in Human Anatomy
Thu, 09 Oct at 06:00 pm Mary Roach: Adventures in Human Anatomy

The Commonwealth Club

TRIPS-ADVENTURES ART
ServSafe\u00ae Manager Class and Exam Session - SAN FRANCISCO
Wed, 11 Jan at 09:00 am ServSafe® Manager Class and Exam Session - SAN FRANCISCO

Pillars of Food Training Center

WORKSHOPS VIRTUAL
Startups Fund Raising Program
Fri, 18 Sep at 10:00 am Startups Fund Raising Program

San Francisco

BUSINESS WORKSHOPS
MINDSHOP \u2122| Data Analysis for Management
Wed, 18 May at 07:00 pm MINDSHOP ™| Data Analysis for Management

Your Laptop

WORKSHOPS STORYTELLING
San Francisco Join us for a Real Estate Investors Training
Thu, 06 Mar at 05:00 pm San Francisco Join us for a Real Estate Investors Training

San Francisco

WORKSHOPS ART
Tech Start Up Founders Gatherings (READ Description)
Fri, 23 May at 04:00 pm Tech Start Up Founders Gatherings (READ Description)

94104

BUSINESS
EXIN BCS Artificial Intelligence Essentials  Training in San Francisco, CA
Wed, 25 Jun at 09:00 am EXIN BCS Artificial Intelligence Essentials Training in San Francisco, CA

Regus - San Francisco - Mid-Market

ARTIFICIAL-INTELLIGENCE WORKSHOPS
PMP (Project Management) Certification Training in San Francisco Bay Area, CA
Tue, 22 Jul PMP (Project Management) Certification Training in San Francisco Bay Area, CA

Downtown, San Francisco, CA, USA

WORKSHOPS VIRTUAL
SFDC Dealer Training
Wed, 27 Aug at 10:00 am SFDC Dealer Training

Riggs Distributing Inc. Showroom

WORKSHOPS
TBD at Golden State Valkyries at Chase Center
Sun, 14 Sep at 11:59 pm TBD at Golden State Valkyries at Chase Center

Chase Center

TRIPS-ADVENTURES CONTESTS
ASRT Radiation Therapy Conference 2025
Sun, 28 Sep at 07:30 am ASRT Radiation Therapy Conference 2025

Hilton San Francisco Union Square

BUSINESS CONFERENCES
Impact x Innovation: Design, Impact, and the Valley Mindset
Mon, 29 Sep at 09:00 am Impact x Innovation: Design, Impact, and the Valley Mindset

California College of the Arts (CCA) Blattner Hall

BUSINESS ART
Data Streaming Summit: San Francisco
Mon, 29 Sep at 09:00 am Data Streaming Summit: San Francisco

Grand Hyatt At SFO

BUSINESS WORKSHOPS

What's Happening Next in San Francisco?

Discover San Francisco Events