AdvertisementMalaysiaAsiaSoutheast AsiaMalaysia demands TikTok explain failure to block fake account using AI to insult king
Among the ‘grossly offensive’ posts were false claims that the king ate pork and images with his face superimposed onto animal bodies
2-MIN READ2-MIN ListenIman Muttaqin YusofPublished: 4:54pm, 21 May 2026Updated: 5:28pm, 21 May 2026Malaysia’s internet regulator issued a statutory demand to TikTok on Thursday after a fake account allegedly used artificial intelligence to insult the country’s king, including posts falsely claiming he ate pork and manipulated images pairing his face with animal bodies.The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) said in a statement that TikTok had failed to take “sufficient and timely action” against offensive and defamatory content targeting the country’s royal institution.The account, which purported to be linked to King Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar, carried material that was “grossly offensive, false, menacing and insulting in nature”, including AI-generated videos and manipulated images, the MCMC said.Advertisement
It said the posts could breach Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, as well as other Malaysian laws.
Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar kisses a copy of the Quran during his coronation in Kuala Lumpur on July 20, 2024. Photo: AFP
The MCMC demand also requires TikTok to take immediate remedial steps, strengthen content moderation and provide a formal explanation for its moderation failures.
