TikTok’s Inadequate Efforts to Combat Fake News in Malaysia Ignite Law Violation Concerns
Efforts by TikTok to reduce the spread of fake news in Malaysia have been criticized as woefully inadequate by Malaysia’s communications minister, Fahmi Fadzil. He stated that TikTok, which is owned by a Chinese company, has not complied with the country’s laws, although he did not specify which ones. During a recent meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Fahmi warned TikTok’s management that they needed to start adhering to Malaysian guidelines and laws immediately.
In a Facebook post, Fahmi emphasized the need for TikTok to comply with Malaysian laws and to be more proactive in controlling the spread of fake news and slanderous materials on their platform. He also mentioned that TikTok acknowledged their shortcomings and attributed them to the absence of a representative in Malaysia. However, TikTok has assured increased cooperation with the Malaysian government and committed to holding further meetings to address these issues.
The concerns about TikTok’s role in the spread of fake news in Malaysia have been raised by several analysts. They have noted an increase in hate speech, particularly during the time leading up to the Malaysian general election in November 2022. TikTok has been identified as one of the preferred platforms for spreading fake news. Lawmakers from the Association of Southeast Asian nations (ASEAN) have also met with Malaysian lawmakers to urge oversight on social media platforms like TikTok, which they believe have worsened the hate speech problem due to their extensive reach.
The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and the police have previously summoned TikTok’s management to explain certain inflammatory online posts after the 2022 polls. These posts implied that race riots might occur if a predominantly ethnic-Chinese party became part of the government. The issue persisted, and some argue it even increased, after the king invited Anwar Ibrahim to head a multiethnic and multireligious coalition government in November.
To address the problem of fake news and hate speech, experts have suggested that TikTok should invest in human resources to review content rather than relying solely on artificial intelligence and bots. Transparency in how TikTok’s algorithms are used to create, monitor, and deliver content should also be increased to make users more aware of the platform’s operations.
TikTok has recently faced scrutiny in Southeast Asia. Vietnam has accused the company of not effectively blocking content that violates the country’s laws, and in Indonesia, TikTok had to stop product sales through its app due to accusations of unfair competition and harm to small and medium-sized enterprises.
In Malaysia, Minister Fahmi has also raised concerns about ad purchases on TikTok. He highlighted complaints from business buildings, public and media agencies affected by ads booked directly with social media platforms. In recent years, many companies have shifted their advertising spending from traditional media to social media platforms, posing a challenge to the media industry.
Overall, TikTok’s inadequate efforts to combat fake news and comply with Malaysian laws have raised concerns and led to calls for increased oversight. The issue of fake news and hate speech on social media platforms remains a challenge for governments in the region, and transparency and cooperation from tech giants like TikTok are crucial in addressing these issues effectively.
Note: The above article is generated by OpenAI’s language model.
