TikTok in trouble with Malaysian government for not acting on anti-royal content

MALAYSIA: TikTok is in trouble in Malaysia, with the country’s communications regulator, Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), issuing a statutory demand to the social media platform.

The action arose from the alleged circulation of content associated with an account purporting to be linked to Malaysia’s King Sultan Ibrahim.

The same day, the police said they had opened an investigation into defamatory and insulting content against His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, believed to have been posted via the fake TikTok account.

In March, the authorities said they identified more than 10,000 fake accounts that were misusing the identities of the King and Queen of Malaysia, as well as members of the royal family.

They also said these accounts have been removed since the beginning of the year.

The action was carried out by social media platforms following continuous monitoring by the MCMC and reports received from various parties between Jan 1 and March 28.

However, yesterday, Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department (CID) director Datuk M. Kumar said a fresh investigation was being conducted by the Classified Criminal Investigation Unit (USJT).

“Yes, we have opened an investigation paper and are conducting further investigations through USJT, Bukit Aman CID,” he said.

“At present, the investigation is being carried out under the Sedition Act and Section 504 of the Penal Code for intentionally insulting a person with intent to provoke a breach of the peace,” he said to a local news portal.

Meanwhile, the MCMC said its directive requires the company to strengthen its content moderation systems and provide a “formal explanation” for failing to block material it described as “grossly offensive, false, menacing and insulting,” including AI-generated videos and manipulated images.

Reuters says TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

MCMC said it ‌took a serious view of any misuse of online platforms ⁠to disseminate such content, particularly ⁠when it involved the Malaysian rulers.

“Such matters fall ⁠within the broader context ⁠of race, religion and ⁠royal issues, which are highly sensitive, undermine public order, national harmony and respect for constitutional institutions,” it said.

MCMC also said TikTok’s moderation response to the content was found to be unsatisfactory, particularly in ensuring prompt removal and preventing further dissemination of harmful material.