Street videos 'exploiting' vulnerable people
Facebook/Tin tinContent creators have been accused of exploiting homeless and vulnerable people in videos filmed without their consent.
Many show people in Newcastle under the influence of drugs or alcohol. A petition calling for Newcastle City Council and Northumbria Police to crack down on them has reached more than 5,000 signatures.
Christine Gray, from North Tyneside, began the petition and said: "It's disgusting, they target vulnerable adults for nothing more than cheap laughs."
Creators Michael Ballymore and Tin tin were named in the petition and told the BBC in a joint statement: "We aim to act responsibly, and within the law, while highlighting issues that many people witness every day."
They have thousands of followers on social media and their videos have millions of views.
Some contain the hashtag "funny videos", which critics say leads to mockery.
They are among several content creators filming "life on the street" videos in the north-east of England and they operate across multiple social media platforms, including Facebook, TikTok and Instagram.
Many use smart glasses when gathering their footage, which is often considered as covert filming.
Tin tin, who said he used the glasses to gather footage, said: "The smart glasses have a visible recording light when they are recording, so they are not a hidden recording device.
"I don't always verbally announce that I'm recording, I will often gesture towards the glasses or make it obvious, and if you watch many of our videos you'll hear us saying, 'I'm recording'."
Gray believes the lack of consent for the videos, particularly if the person is intoxicated and therefore unable to give it, is a "massive" safeguarding issue.
"Some of the people in these videos are unable to give consent to being filmed," she said.
"It is simply exploitation as they'll make money from posting these videos on their backs. Even in the comment sections it can be nothing but ridicule."
Gray's petition asks for stronger enforcement of existing laws around harassment, public order and non‑consensual filming, and clear public guidance from the city council on filming vulnerable people in public spaces.
'Grey area'
Although filming in public places is legal in the UK, uploading the content to social media may breach data protection laws if those in the videos have not consented.
Tania Palmariellodiviney, from Data Privacy Simplified data consultants, said: "It's a grey area - posting videos of people on social media who have not given consent could result in a breach of data protection.
"It could result in a civil case, if those who have posted the images or videos fail to argue that they have not done so in service of the public."
Homeless charity The People's Kitchen, which is based in Newcastle, has supported the petition and said several of its service users appeared in the online videos.
Trustee Maggie Pavlou said: "It's awful. These are vulnerable people being filmed unbeknown to them and the videos are just taking the mick.
"We support some of the people who appear in these videos. Ultimately, they're showing people at their worst moments and it's just sad.
"I'm really angry at the people making these videos and I'm shocked that people watch them. It feels exploitative. If you want to help people, why film them at their lowest?"
'Raising awareness'
Ballymore and Tin tin refute claims they target vulnerable people.
They said their focus had always been on raising awareness of what was happening on the streets and they aimed to act responsibly and within the law, while highlighting issues many people witnessed every day.
"The aim has never been to mock people or make entertainment out of their situation," they said.
They argued they had helped homeless people by paying for hostel rooms, food, clothes and shoes, and put them in touch with organisations and agencies that could offer long-term support.
They said the "real problems" in the city were "homelessness, addiction and the lack of support available to people who need it most".
Newcastle City Council and Northumbria Police both said they did not comment on active petitions.
