Despite growing security concerns about TikTok, Apple remains among top ad spenders

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in General Discussion edited April 2023
Despite growing concerns that TikTok could be banned in the US, and increasing pressure by US regulators, companies -- including Apple -- are doubling down and increasing their reach and ad spends on the platform.

TikTok
TikTok on a smartphone


TikTok saw an 11% growth in advertising in March, despite US officials seeking to ban the social media app over national security concerns.

As Financial Times points out, Apple is among the top spenders. Other companies on that list are Pepsi, DoorDash, and Amazon.

Even top ad agencies aren't advising companies to pull back yet and instead suggest that companies spend while they still can.

"There's unlikely to be an executive order resulting in an immediate ban that would impact advertisers," said Joshua Lowcock, chief media officer of UM Worldwide, told Financial Times. "Even with bipartisan support the legislative process will be protracted -- giving marketers ample time to plan alternative strategies."

Others have told companies to read their contracts with TikTok and consider the cancellation terms before committing.

TikTok has seen substantial growth over the last year and is anticipated to reach $14.15 billion in ad revenue in 2023 versus $9.89 billion in 2022.

In early March, US Senators drafted a plan to provide the Commerce Department the ability to ban TikTok with a carefully worded bill that avoids targeting TikTok directly.

TikTok CEO Shou Chew provided a 5,000-word testimony to the US House Energy and Commerce Committee. In it, he argued that not only is TikTok popular in the US, but it is responsible for bringing worldwide "exposure to American musicians, artists, chefs, and many more."

The video platform is also facing increased scrutiny in other countries. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has advised staff to delete the app from their work phones, citing concerns regarding data privacy and security.

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 6
    waveparticlewaveparticle Posts: 1,497member
    If a social media app is national security concern then all social media apps are. Because Aristotle says so.
    Calamander
  • Reply 2 of 6
    mark fearingmark fearing Posts: 436member
    The 'growing security concern' is, according to all the facts available - political BS. Google and Amazon are far more dangerous for anyone to use as far as what data they pull on you.
    macxpresswatto_cobraCalamander
  • Reply 3 of 6
    baconstangbaconstang Posts: 1,146member
    "TikTok CEO Shou Chew provided written a 5,000-word written testimony to the US House Energy and Commerce Committee."  

    Is AI hiring proof readers by any chance?   Asking for a friend.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 6
    macxpressmacxpress Posts: 5,922member
    I doubt TikTok is going away...this is a political stunt. 
  • Reply 5 of 6
    jcs2305jcs2305 Posts: 1,339member
    mark fearing said:
    The 'growing security concern' is, according to all the facts available - political BS. Google and Amazon are far more dangerous for anyone to use as far as what data they pull on you.
    it isn't just the US that has been threatening a ban. Canada has already banned it from government issued devices, which seems like a no brainer, it's a government owned phone and they control it so there shouldn't be any social media apps on it if they say so.Australia did the same on April 4th..banned from all official devices.

    From what I understand the issue is how our data us being handled. Apparently it all resides on Chinese servers and even if they relocate those servers to the US or outside of China, Tiktok and ByteDance are Chinese companies and are still under the ultimate control of the Chinese government.

    What I don't get and this even goes back to DJT when he tried the same thing..How can the president of the united states ban anything from my, or any other person's personal device and force a sale of a non US company or ANY company for that matter?

  • Reply 6 of 6
    CalamanderCalamander Posts: 97member
    The US government wants to ban it, that means it is a threat to the US government - not people at large. 

    Facebook, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and so on collect the same or even more data on users the difference is, these corporations are only infiltrated by the US three letter agencies, not by the Chinese three letter agencies (maybe - who knows). 

    So everything these media giants collect goes straight to the CIA and NSA, and everything TikTok collects goes straight to whatever their chinese equivalents are. 

    The US government / deep state does not like that. 

    For normal people, it really doesn't matter.

    They're fighting over which spies can access your metadata... 
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