TikTok put on ‘high alert’ in Malaysia as tensions rise in election race

KUALA LUMPUR – Short-form video platform TikTok said Wednesday that it has taken a heavy guard against content that violates guidelines in Malaysia.

Saturday’s elections failed to secure enough parliamentary seats to form a government, ending in an unprecedented hung parliament for either of the two rival alliances.

TikTok, which is owned by China-based company ByteDance, said in a statement that it “remains on high alert and will actively remove violating content.”

TikTok said it had been in contact with Malaysian authorities prior to the election and had been in contact with them about serious and repeated violations of community guidelines.

One of the allies wanting to form a government is a conservative, mostly Malay-Muslim group led by former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

This includes the Islamist party PAS, which advocates a strict interpretation of Sharia Islamic religious law. Its election victory has raised concerns in a country with large ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities, most of whom follow other religions.

Veteran opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim leads another coalition vying for power. A group of more multi-ethnic and progressive political parties, including the Democratic Action Party. The Democratic Action Party is a predominantly Chinese political party that has traditionally been unpopular with voters from the majority Malay community.

Social media users have reported dozens of TikTok posts since the May 13, 1969 election that referred to riots in the capital, Kuala Lumpur. About 200 people died in the riots. A few days later, an opposition party supported by Chinese voters entered the elections. .

TikTok removed a video containing May 13-related content, said it violated its community guidelines, and said it “does not tolerate” hate speech or violent extremism.

TikTok declined to disclose how many posts it has removed or how many complaints it has received.

We have told Reuters that we will be deleting all accounts operated by users under the age of 13. This is because some parents complained that their children were being exposed to offensive content.

Reuters reviewed about 100 videos on TikTok. Some of them featured people showing weapons such as knives and machetes. Some referred to the “young Malay warriors” and said Anwar’s supporters should “remember the May 13 incident”.

In response, videos describing the history of the May 13th violence were flooded in, with many Malay users calling for unity and criticizing those who instigate the violence.

Police have instructed social media users to refrain from posting “provocative” content, saying they found posts touching on race, religion and insulting the monarchy.

The King Summoned His Fellow Hereditary Sultan to meet on Thursday to discuss who should become prime minister.