Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil has revealed that 18 TikTok accounts belonging to the Malaysian media organisations were suddenly banned or restricted from the public. He said the issue was related to a recent reporting about an alleged child sexual assault case in Batang Kali.
Fahmi claims media accounts were banned due to AI
Fahmi said the banning of media accounts were due by flagging by TikTok’s AI moderation. He said sometimes the AI system may not be able to differentiate accounts managed by media organisation from user generated content accounts. Fahmi added that a discussion will be held soon to fine tune the categorisation of TikTok accounts belonging to media organisations so that they won’t get flagged again in the future.
MCMC sedang berhubung dengan TikTok susulan 18 akaun TikTok organisasi media disekat kerana buat hantaran berhubung kes cabul di Batang Kali – Menteri Komunikasi Fahmi Fadzil #digitalbernamatv #fahmifadzil #tiktok #mcmc pic.twitter.com/WqUaAtO8x9
— BERNAMA TV 🇲🇾 (@BernamaTV) February 24, 2025
He said the media organisations didn’t encounter such issues when reporting about the alleged sexual assault case on other platforms. He iterated that this was an AI issue that TikTok should explain to the ministry and to the media outlets.
TikTok has zero tolerance against CSAM
Typically, a TikTok account gets banned if it has been found committing a serious violations on the platform. Prior to the banning, several media outlets have reposted clips of the CCTV footage of the alleged crime with added pixelation.
As stated on TikTok’s safety guidelines:
We are deeply committed to TikTok being a safe and positive experience for young people. We do not allow showing, promoting, or engaging in youth sexual or physical abuse or exploitation. This includes child sexual abuse material (CSAM), grooming, sextortion, sexual solicitation, pedophilia, and physical or psychological harm of young people.
What we do know is that TikTok has a zero tolerance policy against any Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) and they will permanently ban accounts that fail to comply with their safety standards. This includes showing any screenshot or clip from the original material, even if it does not show nudity or sexual activity.
In other words, a resharing of the same video even if it is blurred or pixelated is still considered a serious violation on TikTok.
Media urged to be more responsible when reporting sexual crimes against children
Reporting sexual crimes involving children is a very delicate issue and the media has been urged to be more responsible to protect the privacy and safety of children.
According to UNICEF’s guidelines for journalists reporting on children, the media should not publish a story or an image that might put the child, their siblings or peers at risk, even when their identities are changed, obscured or not used.
In addition, several organisations have also appealed to the media to be more responsible when reporting incidents involving people with disabilities (OKU). Some media outlets were found to invoke the OKU label to sensationalise the alleged crime.
It is said that such reporting and sensationalised headlines will worsen bias and prejudice in the minds of the public that OKUs are not to be trusted and are sexual perpetrators. The situation could lead to worsen discrimination against the OKU and those closely associated with OKU, which will hinder efforts of inclusion of the OKU community.
