Every Screen on the Planet

The Secret Story of TikTok

Emily Baker-White

$36.99

Paperback

Forthcoming
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English

Macmillan
28 October 2025

Society & Social Sciences; Media studies; Political science & theory; Information technology industries

The global story of the world's most controversial social media network and the struggle to control it.

TikTok boasts 1.6 billion active users worldwide and wields unprecedented power over our culture. Its crown jewel is the most addictive algorithm ever invented. As a result, it has become a political football all over the world.

In Every Screen on the Planet, Harvard-trained lawyer and investigative journalist Emily Baker-White charts TikTok's rise - from its Chinese founders' early ambitions to its emergence as the world's most valuable startup. She examines its potential value as a surveillance and propaganda tool for strongmen and the huge controversy it has fostered, from India to Washington, DC.

Based on explosive reporting that caused TikTok to track the author and led to an ongoing criminal investigation, Baker-White's engrossing narrative takes us inside the company as the US government seeks backdoor access to observe and influence TikTok's data stream and eventually gives the company an ultimatum: divorce from your Chinese founders or be banned. Touching on politics, business and technology, Every Screen on the Planet takes us behind the scenes of TikTok's incredible growth and its astounding - and ongoing - impact on society.

By: Emily Baker-White
Imprint: Macmillan
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 29mm
Weight: 452g
ISBN: 9781035049271
ISBN 10: 1035049279
Pages: 368
Publication Date: 28 October 2025
Recommended Age: From 18 years
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Emily Baker-White works as a technology reporter for Forbes. She previously covered tech at Buzzfeed News. Before becoming a journalist, Baker-White earned her J.D. from Harvard Law School and practiced criminal defense law, launching a multi-year investigation into police misconduct on Facebook. With her unique mix of legal and tech expertise, she is uniquely situated to cover the intricate landscape of TikTok and ByteDance.

Reviews for Every Screen on the Planet: The Secret Story of TikTok

Is TikTok spying on you? It already has spied on Emily Baker-White, in the course of her pathbreaking research into the company's out-of-control surveillance and its legal subjugation to Beijing's spymasters. Deeply researched and nuanced in its judgments, this is a must-read account from a heroic reporter who has taken on the world's most dangerous tech company -- Chris Miller, bestselling author of <i>Chip War</i> Revealing. A story about power, control and the hidden battles shaping what we see online. A smart and surprisingly deep dive that will make you rethink what's going on behind TikTok's endless scroll. -- Parmy Olson, bestselling author of <i>Supremacy: AI, ChatGPT and the Race That Will Change the World</i>