The SKMM and PDRM will ask TikTok to provide an explanation regarding the existence of a provocative video of the May 13 riots that went viral on the platform last week. TikTok was finally asked to clarify after MalaysiaKini reported that three of the videos were paid content with the label "paid partnership".
TikTok declined to say whether the videos were paid for by politicians and how many paid videos have been produced so far. Unlike Meta, TikTok does not have any program to censor political content on their platform ahead of GE 15.
On Facebook and WhatsApp, political content using the Boost feature will be displayed with who paid for it and present with third-party fact-checking. Advertising also needs to be done using local currency and done by users who are in Malaysia to avoid outside interference. This may be the reason why provocative content during GE15 did not go viral on Meta's platform.
Those who spread provocative videos, threaten public order, hate, prejudice and want to provoke disharmony can be punished under Act 574 of the Penal Code. Until now there have been no reports of the individuals who produced the viral videos being detained by the authorities. MCMC warns the public not to re-upload videos that have been deleted on some major social media platforms.
