Malaysia issues statutory demand to TikTok over monarchy content

Malaysia’s communications regulator has ordered TikTok to formally explain its failure to swiftly remove offensive and defamatory content targeting the country’s monarchy. The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission announced the action on Thursday, issuing a statutory demand to the social media platform.

The commission stated the move followed the circulation of what it described as grossly offensive, false, menacing, and insulting content. This included AI-generated videos and manipulated images linked to an account falsely claiming association with King Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar. The regulator said such matters fall within the sensitive issues of race, religion, and royalty, which are highly sensitive and may undermine public order, national harmony, and respect for constitutional institutions.

Despite prior notifications and engagements with TikTok, the commission said the platform’s moderation response was unsatisfactory, particularly in ensuring the prompt removal of such content and preventing its further dissemination. TikTok has not publicly commented on the case.

The statutory demand requires TikTok to provide a formal explanation regarding its alleged...