TikTok announces new fund to pay creative users for content

TikTok has announced a fund to pay UK and other European creative users of the video platform for their content.

Marking two years since the app launched in Britain, TikTok said it would allocate around £54 million in the next year to help “talented individuals turn their creativity into a career”.

The video platform has not yet confirmed how prospective users can apply for the new scheme or how it will decide on those it will choose to support.

TikTok UK general manager Rich Waterworth said the UK’s creative impact was “almost without parallel”.

“Creativity is the lifeblood of TikTok, and we want to mark our second birthday by supporting the community that makes us who we are.

“To further nurture and promote the creative talent that is so vital to the UK, we’re excited to announce the launch of the TikTok Creator Fund in the UK, alongside a number of other European countries we operate in.”

Mr Waterworth said the European fund would likely receive as much as £231 million within its first three years.

The move is part of efforts by TikTok to keep its most popular, original creators on the platform amid growing outside pressures.

The app has come under scrutiny in recent weeks over its Chinese roots, with the US leading criticism of the firm and alleging possible security risks involving Chinese state access to personal data.

US secretary of state Mike Pompeo recently said that the Trump administration was “looking at” banning Chinese apps such as TikTok, while the platform is among more than 50 China-linked apps banned in India earlier this month in the wake of a military skirmish between the two nations.

TikTok, owned by Chinese firm ByteDance, has insisted the Chinese state does not have access to any of the personal information of its users.

On Wednesday, the platform’s new boss also hit out at Facebook for launching “maligning attacks” against it “disguised as patriotism”.

Kevin Mayer accused the social network of creating “copycat” products in his first statement since leaving Disney for the TikTok top job in May.