Comment by justusthane

I don't think it does directly, but I suppose in a macro sense, by paying for a .io domain you're contributing to the system responsible for the exploitation of these people.

An analogy: a bunch of indigenous people are kicked off their island, and coffee is grown there by the people who evicted them. You buy the coffee, and the people who have the rightful claim to the land don't receive any of the profits.

To add insult to injury, the coffee is named after the island it's grown on, and that's mostly why it's popular - because it's a really good name for coffee (maybe it's called Java Island).

That's basically what the .io domain is.