- Hannah Gelbart, Mamdouh Akbeek, and Ziad Al-Khattan
- Disinformation Unit, BBC Arabic, BBC i Investigative
Families living as refugees in camps in Syria are asking for cash through social networking site TikTok to meet their daily needs. In this case, the BBC’s investigation revealed that the TikTok company takes up to 70 percent of the amount they get to help them.
Kids there appear on Tik Tok Live and beg for digital gifts with monetary value.
It has been revealed that while thousands of US dollars in aid are available within an hour to those seeking help online, only a fraction of it goes to families in the camps.
Tik Tok said that asking for financial help live is ‘exploitative begging’ and action will be taken against it.
The company says that this type of content is not allowed on the TikTok site. Also, TikTok claims that the commission on digital gifts is less than 70 percent. However, TikTok refused to confirm the exact amount.
Earlier this year, when families living in Syrian camps made a plea for help via TikTok live, many donated funds. Some also expressed concern about scams.
A BBC investigation revealed that some TikTok intermediaries provided phones and equipment to families living in camps in north-west Syria.
The middlemen say they are working with agencies associated with TikTok. Through them, these families got access to the TikTok app. These agencies are part of the TikTok app’s global strategy to recruit livestreamers and encourage users to spend more time with them.
Agents using British SIM cards
As the TikTok algorithm recommends content based on the user’s phone number, intermediaries have made more use of British SIM cards. They also say they get more gifts from Britain.
Mona Ali Al-Kareem and her six daughters are among the many families who go live on the TikTok platform. Sitting for hours in front of their tent, they ask for help with the few English words they know.
Mona’s husband was killed in an airstrike. She is using the live stream to raise money for her blind daughter Sharifa’s surgery.
They can convert digital gifts from other TikTok users into cash.
The BBC tracked 30 accounts live from Syria camps over the past five months. Visitors to each of those accounts can often see thousands of US dollars worth of gifts per hour.
But the families living in the camps say they get a small amount as gifts.
The BBC conducted an investigation to find out how much TikTok would take as commission from digital gifts.
A BBC reporter from Syria called an agency linked to TikTok to say he was living in the camps. After that, when he got a TikTok account, he asked for help live.
A BBC employee in London donated a digital gift worth US$106 to her. By the end of the live broadcast, only US$33 had reached the BBC reporter’s account. TikTok took 69 percent of the total digital prize.
How is Tik Tok Exploited?
Former professional rugby player and TikTok celebrity Keith Mason donated US$330 during a family livestream and encouraged his one million followers to help.
When the BBC informed him that most of the funds were being taken by TikTok, he said it was an injustice to those families.
Stating that Tik Tok should have some transparency, he termed Tik Tok’s act as greed.
When the remaining USD 33 digital gift was converted into cash, the local money exchange shop charged a 10 percent deduction. He got just US$19 for the rest of the money to be taken by the TikTok intermediary as a 35 percent commission.
Hamid, one of the TikTok middlemen in the camps, told the BBC that he sold his cattle to buy a mobile phone, SIM card and Wi-Fi connection for the job.
image source, Getty Images
Hameed is currently making live arrangements for 12 families.
Hameed, who says that he uses Tik Tok for his family’s livelihood, also says that he collects the fees for himself and gives the huge amount to them.
Hameed says he gets help from agencies that have direct ties to TikTok.
“They help us if there is any problem with the processor. They reactivate disabled accounts. If we give them name and profile picture, they create a new account,” says Hameed.
Such agencies, known as ‘livestreaming guilds’, exist all over the world. TikTok has contracted them to help content creators.
Tiktok gives them commission based on live time and value of prizes received.
Children in Syrian camps go live for hours at a time.
A threat to minors
Marwa Fadafta of digital rights group Access Now says the live stream runs contrary to TikTok’s own policies against harm, endangerment or exploitation of minors.
“TikTok clearly states that users are not allowed to openly receive gifts. So this is a violation of their own terms of service and the rights of these people,” he said.
She admits they have the right to share their stories online to seek support and sympathy, but says these live broadcasts are disrespectful and humiliating.
Before you can go live, you need to have 1,000 followers. TikTok’s rules state that you must not directly solicit gifts and prevent harm, endangerment or exploitation of minors.
When the BBC reported 30 TikTok accounts using a feature on the TikTok platform for children begging for help, TikTok said they found no violations.
The accounts were later disabled when the BBC contacted TikTok directly for comment.
In this regard, the company issued a statement saying, “We are deeply concerned by the information and allegations brought to our attention by the BBC. We have taken swift and strict action.”
“This type of content is not permitted on our site and we are further reinforcing our global policies on exploitative begging,” the statement added.
TikTok, the world’s fastest-growing social media app, has generated US$6.2 billion in in-app revenue since its launch in 2017, according to analytics firm Sensor Tower.
The BBC contacted a number of charities working in Syria to support families living in camps as an alternative to making money from TikTok Live.
A local charity, Takaful Alsham, said it would provide families with basic necessities for the next three months and cover the children’s education costs.
Many in the camps have no choice but to ask for help online. Hundreds of families request help online every day. But most of the money donated is still going to TikTok.
Additional research by Mohammad Abdullah, Runako Selina, Cyrus Chan, Ned Davis, and Katie Ling and with information
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