KUALA LUMPUR, May 21 (Reuters) – Malaysia’s communications regulator said on Thursday it has issued a statutory demand to social media platform TikTok alleging it had failed to take sufficient and timely action in moderating what it called offensive and defamatory content on the country’s monarchy.
The action arose from the alleged circulation of content associated with an account purporting to be linked to Malaysia’s King Sultan Ibrahim, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission said in a statement.
• TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
• The content included material that was “grossly offensive, false, menacing and insulting in nature”, including AI-generated videos and manipulated images, that may contravene local laws, the commission said.
• 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, undermines public order, national harmony and respect for constitutional institution,” it said.
• The commission said that despite prior notifications and engagements, TikTok’s moderation response to the content was found to be unsatisfactory, particularly in ensuring prompt removal and preventing further dissemination of harmful material.
• The statutory demand would require TikTok, owned by China’s ByteDance, to undertake immediate remedial measures, including strengthening content moderation mechanisms and ensuring more effective enforcement against content that violates Malaysian laws.
• It would also require the firm to provide a formal explanation regarding its alleged moderation failures, it said.
• Malaysia has stepped up scrutiny of social media companies in recent years after finding a sharp rise in harmful online content. The government plans age verification for users this year, following similar moves around the world to limit social media use among minors.
(Reporting by Rozanna Latiff and Danial Azhar; Editing by Martin Petty)
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