An investigation of the BBC revealed how TikTok and affiliated companies profit from Syrian refugee livestreams who ask for money on the platform. Children and other families displaced by war perform live for hours, requesting donations of the users. In accordance with BBCvideos can raise up to $1,000 per houralthough families receive only a fraction.
Broadcasts are part of a well-crafted network involving China agencies, brokers, and TikTok itself. Refugees obtain mobile phones with the help of a third party, which in turn has contact with agencies known as “Guilds of live streaming“. These agencies are experts in pushing algorithms and are hired by TikTok, who pays them to power live streams.
The direct ones include children and families who sit for hours talking about their situation or simply ask them to “like” and contribute. Although TikTok does not allow sending money, the platform has “virtual gifts” that work as support for content creators. Refugees can exchange the gifts for cash, although they receive a small fraction.
Soliciting donations or help is prohibited by the TikTok terms of use, while Community Rules establish that the exploitation of minors on the platform must be prevented. The rules also state that You must be over 16 years old and have more than 1,000 followers to do direct. In addition to that, the Virtual Items Policy makes it clear that it is TikTok who will select users of the program “based on various criteria, including their history of creating quality content, number of followers, etc.”
While videos of refugees in Syria would violate these rules, broadcasts are made with the help of foreign agencies under TikTok. The livestreaming guilds, located in China and other countries, have the mission of promoting the creation of quality live shows. According to BBC, TikTok pays these agencies a commission according to the duration and amount of gifts refugees receive.
They are the ones they provide accounts to the children of Syria and solve any problem, although there is one more link in this chain. Hamid, another displaced person who lives in one of the camps, lends his phone to 12 families so they can do live broadcasts. Hamid is a intermediary who serves as contact between the refugee and the agency And you also get a percentage of the profits.
How much does a refugee from Syria earn on TikTok?
BBC conducted an experiment to check how much money would a refugee get in a direct. A reporter from Syria posed as displaced and contacted an agency to get a TikTok username. After making a live broadcast and receiving a gift from the BBC, the test showed thate the account only had 33% of the value of the virtual item.
Refugees not only have to deal with the TikTok commission, but also with a percentage when withdrawing the money and they have to pay an intermediary like Hamid for providing the phone. In the end, the families get only a fraction of what the audience sends them. All this with the audience of TikTok, which has been accused of benefiting from the misfortune of its users.
Direct refugees from Syria could lead to another major problem if we consider groups that take advantage of minors to exploit them and obtain economic income. Although the BBC reported some accounts that were broadcasting, the platform’s algorithm determined that they did not violate the rules. In the end, TikTok can pretend not to notice what’s going on if he obtains millionaire income thanks to the displaced.