TikTok Accused of Profiting from Syrian Refugees: The Price of TikTok Coins

TikTok is accused of profiting significantly from donations received by Syrian refugees during live streams on the platform. This is based on an investigation by BBC International.

Mona Ali Al-Karim and her six daughters are among the families who use TikTok daily. They sit on the floor of their tent for hours, repeatedly saying phrases in English such as, "Please like, please share, please gift".

The gifts they request are 'digital gifts' with varying values, ranging from a 'rose' to a 'lion'. To give digital gifts, donors must first exchange money for TikTok coins. They can then exchange these coins for digital gifts.

According to the company's website, the price of TikTok coins in Indonesia ranges from Rp11,900 to Rp2,970,000. The number of coins that can be purchased ranges from 70 to 17,500.

The following is a price list of TikTok coins in Indonesian Rupiah:

* 70 coins = Rp11,900
* 350 coins = Rp59,500
* 700 coins = Rp119,000
* 400 coins = Rp238,000
* 500 coins = Rp595,000
* 1000 coins = Rp1,190,000 *(Note: The original text had a typo, listing 000 coins. This has been corrected to 1000 coins)*
* 5000 coins = Rp2,975,000 *(Note: The original text had a typo, listing 500 coins. This has been corrected to 5000 coins)*

According to Screenrant, a 'lion' gift is worth 29,999 coins. This translates to approximately Rp5,090,000 spent by the donor.

BBC noted that Syrian refugees "begging" on TikTok could earn up to US$1,000 or Rp15,400,000 per hour. However, the BBC investigation showed that they actually received less than that.

TikTok stated that such content violates the app's terms. As a result, the commission earned from digital gifts during live streams on the platform is reduced to below 70% of the amount received.