TikTok summoned to police HQ to address issues concerning platform

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The top management of TikTok have been summoned to the federal police headquarters in Bukit Aman for a meeting tomorrow, Thursday 4 September.

Communications minister Fahmi Fadzil said, as quoted by NST, that the meeting with the police seeks to address issues concerning the platform, such as the spread of false information, sales on TikTok Shop, delays in cooperation with police probes and more.

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The publication also reported that this is the first engagement with the social media platform, as the government looks to call up other platforms to discuss compliance with local laws, and worries surrounding cases of pedophilia on social media.

Meanwhile, FMT quoted Fahmi as saying that TikTok had been slow in its response to assist the authorities in cases surrounding the spread of fake news. He said, he had to call the CEO of TikTok himself to inform him that the company's lack of action could surmount to a crime. He also shared that Meta would be summoned soon after authorities detected pedophilic-related content on WhatsApp and Facebook.

Additionally, the Vibes reported the content on Meta's platforms also include "school gang" activities, and the dissemination of dangerous information. Fahmi added that the platforms were "not taking a serious stance" and the dialogue process will continue as the government seeks to emphasise the importance of the platforms complying with the laws of the country.

Earlier this year, Fahmi had shared that some 1,993 pornographic social media posts and advertisements were reportedly removed in Malaysia from 2022 until February this year. In the same period, 3,670 websites were blocked for inappropriate content.

Throughout the year, the communications minister had also been calling out the tech firms for falling short on curbing online harms. In June, Fahmi criticised tech giants Meta and X for failing to take meaningful action against online harms in Malaysia, calling their ongoing reluctance to engage with local regulation “far from satisfactory.” He claimed that Facebook, Instagram (under Meta) and X have been giving many excuses.

In February, he called on TikTok to comply with local laws regarding content moderation on its platform, after the social media platform blocked 23 accounts belonging to media outlets in the country. He expressed concern that TikTok is turning a blind eye towards online scams and gambling content, all while expecting local users to comply with their guidelines.

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