KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia's internet regulator issued a statutory demand to TikTok on Thursday after a fake account allegedly used artificial intelligence (AI) to insult the country's king, including posts falsely claiming he ate pork and manipulated images pairing his face with animal bodies.
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.
It said the posts could breach Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, as well as other Malaysian laws.
The MCMC demand also requires TikTok to take immediate remedial steps, strengthen content moderation and provide a formal explanation for its moderation failures.
"Social media service providers are expected to act responsibly and expeditiously in addressing content that is unlawful, harmful or threatens public order," the regulator said.
This Week in Asia found that the TikTok account was no longer visible on the platform as of Thursday. TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Johor Royal Press Office said on Wednesday that the fake account, operating under the name "Sultan Ibrahim Ismail", appeared to use AI to spread insulting material against the king.
Among the posts was a video falsely alleging that Sultan Ibrahim "favours eating pork", a claim the royal office described as untrue and deeply sensitive given that the king was a Malay ruler and Muslim head of state. Consuming pork is strictly forbidden in Islam.
It called another image, in which the king's face was superimposed onto an animal's body, "clearly offensive and irresponsible".
Johor chief minister Onn Hafiz Ghazi condemned the account on Thursday, saying the false allegations and manipulated images amounted to "a very serious insult".
"Freedom of speech cannot be used as an excuse to spread slander, hatred and insults against the royal institution," Onn Hafiz said in a statement, urging police and the MCMC to act against those involved, including the people behind the fake account.
Royal red line
The case lands squarely in the Muslim-majority country's so-called 3R zone - referring to highly sensitive issues of race, religion and royalty. The MCMC said such content risked undermining public order, national harmony and respect for constitutional institutions.
Malaysia has tightened scrutiny of social media platforms under Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, with officials saying online harm has spread across scams, cyberbullying, illegal gambling and 3R content.
Between January 2022 and July 1, 2025, social media platforms removed 37,845 pieces of false information and 7,846 posts linked to 3R issues after requests by the MCMC, state news agency Bernama reported.
Anwar's critics have accused his administration of retreating from free-speech pledges, while authorities insist the push is aimed at harmful and unlawful content. Malaysian law also prohibits seditious remarks and insults against the monarchy, a powerful institution in the country's constitutional system.
Since Jan 1, major internet messaging and social media services with at least 8 million users in Malaysia - including TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, Telegram and WeChat - are required to hold a licence under the Communications and Multimedia Act, placing them more firmly within the MCMC's regulatory reach.
