TikTok Inc.’s operations are not in full compliance with Malaysian laws and it needs to be more proactive in curbing the spread of fake news on the social media platform, according to Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil.
“TikTok’s compliance with Malaysian laws is still unsatisfactory, and this must be rectified immediately,” the minister said in a statement posted on Facebook Thursday.
Fahmi said he met with TikTok’s top management led by Global Vice-President Helena Lersch on Wednesday to seek clarification on several issues including its e-commerce operations in Malaysia, the spread of fake news on its platform and the ease of purchasing advertisements on the site.
“TikTok admits weaknesses in their response as they do not have a representative in Malaysia currently,” Fahmi said.
The minister’s comments comes a week after TikTok suspended its online-retail operation in neighboring Indonesia after its government announced new regulations that will force TikTok to split its shopping feature from the popular video-scrolling service in the country.
READ: Vietnam Says TikTok’s Content Censorship Isn’t Effective
In a separate statement late Thursday, TikTok said it “respects locals laws and regulations” and is taking proactive measures to address the issues Fahmi raised. TikTok said it had scheduled follow up meetings with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission next week on the matter.
(Updates with comments from TikTok in last paragraph)
