TikTok Review Flagged Content Supposedly Advertising Smuggling People into UK

Chinese social media platform TikTok stated Tuesday that it is reviewing any content which advertises smuggling people to the UK.

It is after the content has been flagged by British media outlet GB News .

Some of the videos were sent by unidentified viewers to the broadcaster. They appear to be directed at Albanian-speaking immigrants who wish to travel to the UK.

One video shows footage that starts from a Wizz Air plane parked with its captain saying “Rinas”, an Albanian village, to streets in Brussels, Paris and Dunkirk before showing the map of England Channel with the phrase “water,” and a laugh emoji and British and Albanian flags.

The video shows London’s River Thames and appears to show rubber boats. A caption says, “We aren’t the only ones, but we are best .”

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An English caption then appears: “Ready for 27/7/2022, 4500PS, guarantee 100 [percent]. Albanian and Kurdish Welcoming to UK .”

Crossings were advertised in the videos for PS4,000, PS4,500 or PS5,500 per person, with one poster labelled “summer sale” offering to smuggle a person for PS3,500.

TikTok was contacted by GB News about the video clips. A spokesperson said that the platform is currently reviewing the footage and would likely ban it.

“We have policies that prohibit users from engaging or exploiting others in dangerous or life-threatening activities. Content depicting, encouraging, coordinating or facilitating human smuggling are not permitted on TikTok,” said a spokesperson.

” I am reviewing the content using the appropriate language support. The accounts flagged will likely be blocked as per the policy mentioned above .”

According to GB News TikTok has banned four accounts that were flagged by broadcaster.

A spokesperson for the UK’s Home Office stated: “Posts that promote lethal crossings by people smugglers are completely unacceptable. It requires social media companies [to] engage in dialog to stop their platforms being exploited.”

” The government has launched a social media campaign to inform people about the dangers of online disinformation. We have also exposed the lies that were sold to them by humane smugglers .”

According to official figures, the number of people smuggled into the UK from France in small boats has soared in recent years, with 28,526 people detected in 2021, compared to 8,466 in 2020, 1,843 in 2019, and 299 in 2018.

By Aug. 2, some 17,085 illegal immigrants had arrived in 2022.