Malaysia takes TikTok to task over 'offensive' content against king

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Kuala Lumpur: The Malaysian government has issued a formal statutory demand to TikTok after the social media platform failed to take timely action against a fake account spreading grossly offensive content targeting King Sultan Ibrahim.

According to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), the unauthorized account circulated highly defamatory, AI-generated videos and manipulated images targeting the monarch.

Regulators stated that despite prior warnings, TikTok’s response was entirely unsatisfactory in halting the dissemination of the material. The newly issued legal demand requires the platform's parent company, ByteDance, to enforce immediate, stringent content moderation remedies and submit a formal explanation regarding its systemic enforcement failures.

The crackdown aligns with Malaysia’s intensified scrutiny of global tech firms under strict laws governing race, religion, and the royal institution. Platforms failing to comply with the country's online safety standards risk facing massive financial penalties.