During the 15th General Election period, there were quite a number of offensive content posted on TikTok. The giant social media company became extremely vigilant and took strong measures to eliminate such content and removed 1,126 videos that it deemed to contain “extremist content.”
Additionally, they also blocked 857 videos prior to the general election and 130 videos on election day. To avoid the same thing from happening again, TikTok said they are prepared to handle the upcoming state elections.
Malay Mail reports that the head of public policy for TikTok Malaysia, Hafizin Tajudin, stated that the company is ready to address any potential content that violates its community guidelines ahead of the upcoming state elections.
In addition to its current content moderation efforts, TikTok Malaysia will concentrate more on initiatives to promote trust and safety as the election approaches, including creating awareness content under its #SaferTogether campaign to teach users about appropriate behavior on the platform.
TikTok Malaysia is working with content creators to make videos that promote safe use of the app, such as how to report inappropriate content or manage comment settings. Hafizin noted that the company has a good relationship with government entities, such as the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and the police, and is cooperating with them to prevent harmful trends and practices.
TikTok has also faced scrutiny abroad over user data privacy and security. Hafizin defended the company’s privacy policy and measures to protect user data, stating that they have nothing to hide and that they do not pose any national security threat.
Although several countries, including Australia, France, and Canada, have banned TikTok on government devices, Hafizin maintained that the company has a positive relationship with the Malaysian government.
We reported previously that CyberSecurity Malaysia (CSM) is investigating claims that downloading TikTok on mobile devices poses a risk, according to the Minister of Communications and Digital, Fahmi Fadzil.
The investigation was prompted by the European Union’s (EU) decision to temporarily ban TikTok from senior officials’ phones due to cybersecurity concerns, which has been followed by similar actions in the United States.
