Malaysia summons TikTok management over delays in tackling fake news, report says

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) -Malaysian authorities have summoned TikTok's top management over the social media company's alleged delays in tackling fake news on its platform, state news agency Bernama reported on Tuesday, citing Malaysia's communications minister.

Minister Fahmi Fadzil said TikTok, owned by China's ByteDance, had been too slow in responding to requests for assistance in police investigations, prompting him to ask the firm's chief executive for help, Bernama reported. 

Fahmi cited a recent case where a man had falsely claimed on TikTok to be a pathologist involved in an investigation into the high-profile death of a Malaysian teenager, the report said.

"TikTok was very slow in providing information... to the point that I had to call TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew to inform him, 'this is a crime that's being committed and your organisation is very slow'," Fahmi was quoted as saying. 

"We cannot allow such an attitude."

TikTok will be summoned to Malaysian police headquarters on Thursday, with the police chief and attorney-general expected to be in attendance, Fahmi said, according to Bernama. 

Malaysia has stepped up scrutiny of social media companies in recent years, after reporting a sharp rise in harmful online content on their platforms. 

Malaysian authorities deem online gambling, scams, child pornography and grooming, cyberbullying and content related to race, religion and royalty as harmful.

Fahmi said Meta, the parent company of social media and messaging platforms Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, will also be summoned over the spread of "immoral" content, including paedophilia-related imagery, Bernama reported. 

TikTok and Meta did not immediately respond to requests for comment.     

"We see these platforms are not taking the matter seriously, so the dialogue process will continue, and we will stress that Malaysian law applies to them and they must comply. We will summon every platform," he said, according to Bernama.

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(Reporting by Rozanna Latiff; Editing by Sharon Singleton)