--- title: "TikTok makes money on live feeds of refugees begging" description: "According to the BBC, TikTok and affiliated livestreaming guilds take a share of 70% of donations made by Syrian migrants who use the programme to beg" author: "Muskan Singh" published: 2022-10-12 canonical: https://www.mindstick.com/news/2127/tiktok-makes-money-on-live-feeds-of-refugees-begging category: "social issues" tags: ["technology", "news", "media", "technology news"] reading_time: 3 minutes --- # TikTok makes money on live feeds of refugees begging The **BBC visited a Syrian refugee camp where they observed twelve families working with Hamid Al-Alwa, a 'TikTok intermediary,' who moves one smartphone across the camp. Hamid admitted to the BBC that he assists the families in managing their finances,** but that by the time the money enters his account, the value of the gifts delivered to the refugees has significantly decreased. 'If we get a lion as a present, it's worth $500,' Hamid added in [reference](https://www.mindstick.com/forum/774/reference-what-does-this-error-mean-in-php) to the animated lion that appears on a livestreamer's screen when a sizeable donation is made. It is just $155 when it gets to the Al-Dana money exchange. The study discovered that although some Syrian refugees claimed to collect $1,000 per hour from their livestreams, they actually earned much less. The BBC invited one of its correspondents to stream live from his Syrian-based **TikTok** account in order to test the [platform](https://www.mindstick.com/articles/13080/wikipedia-the-most-powerful-advertising-platform-of-the-digital-age)'s giving system. Through TikTok's live-gifting feature, the BBC contributed $106 to the journalist's account. The report states that the journalist received $33.03. According to the BBC, a family would receive just $19 from a $106 donation after the [commission](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/62212/who-has-been-elected-as-the-first-female-president-of-the-european-commission) deducted by money transfer businesses and middlemen. According to a statement TikTok provided to the BBC, 'We are profoundly disturbed about the facts and allegations brought to our [attention](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/45144/what-is-a-calling-attention) by the BBC, and have taken fast and rigorous action.' When asked by the BBC how much money it makes from livestream presents, TikTok declined to answer. **Insider looked through TikTok and came across at least five videos of refugees pleading for assistance. Each of the five videos was a webcast that fans had filmed**. A number of refugees could be seen gathered around an elderly guy in one video, with [one of them](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/47593/what-are-the-prevalent-water-proofing-systems-write-a-short-notes-on-any-one-of-them) shouting, 'Help me, I need help,' repeatedly.In a another video, a guy and his three kids were seen thanking viewers for their gifts during a livestream. Where these streamers were positioned was a mystery. **The usernames used in these clips were no longer associated with their [streaming](https://www.mindstick.com/interview/2290/what-is-hadoop-streaming), according to a platform search. On TikTok, users may use [virtual currency](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/32287/which-country-launches-the-new-virtual-currency-petro) to send live gifts. To 'grade or show your appreciation for an item** of User Content that is uploaded or streamed by another user,' as stated in TikTok's virtual item rules, you can use these presents. The presents are subsequently transformed into 'diamonds' in the account of the recipient, which may be exchanged for cash. A **TikTok** spokeswoman told Insider in a statement that the firm had deleted accounts that solicited donations in violation of its [community](https://yourviews.mindstick.com/view/87457/khalistan-community-a-threat-to-india) guidelines. According to TikTok, '**This kind of content is not permitted on our site, and we are further extending our global standards around exploitative begging.'** --- Original Source: https://www.mindstick.com/news/2127/tiktok-makes-money-on-live-feeds-of-refugees-begging Copyright © MindStick Software Pvt. Ltd. This Markdown version is provided for developers, AI systems, and offline reading.