The Chinese-based firm, TikTok is the world’s fastest-growing mobile video app, on Thursday pledged to donate $250m as relief efforts in the world’s fight against the deadly novel Coronavirus.
TikTok which has come under a lot of criticism and attacks from American Lawmakers who have for breach of security and data cataloguing of users. The firm says it intends for the donation to be for “front line medical workers, educators, and local communities deeply affected by the global crisis.”
TikTok which joins other international tech firms across the world including Microsoft, Tesla, Amazon, Twitter, Google, Facebook and Netflix, who have all made notable contributions to the world in their bid to fight the deadly virus which has crippled the economies of countries across the world.
In a statement released by TikTok president Alex Zhu he said, “We are committed to playing our part in that global outpouring of mutual support and giving,”
“We want to magnify all we are seeing across our community and translate it into concrete relief for those most affected by this crisis.”
TikTok said $150 million of the funds would be allocated for medical staffing, supplies, and hardship relief for health care workers through the US Centers for Disease Control, World Health Organization, and agencies working to distribute supplies in hard-hit countries including India, Indonesia, Italy and South Korea.
Another $40 million will be donated to “organizations that serve groups representative of TikTok’s diverse user communities, including musicians, artists, nurses, educators, and families that have come together on our platform,” Zhu said. TikTok said it would match $10 million in donations to its “community relief fund,” with some of that going to artists, songwriters, and music professionals hurt by cancelled performances and gig work. Another $50 million will be applied to a “creative learning fund” to support distance learning efforts worldwide.
TikTok, popular with teens for its short music videos, has become one of the most widely used social platforms in recent months and has seen interest surge during the pandemic. The application, owned by Chinese tech company ByteDance, saw 65 million worldwide downloads in March, according to analytics site SensorTower. Photo Credit: Getty
