Ammon News - Malaysian authorities have summoned TikTok's top management over the social media company's alleged delays in tackling fake news on its platform, state news agency Bernama reported on Tuesday, citing Malaysia's communications minister.

Minister Fahmi Fadzil said TikTok, owned by China's ByteDance, had been too slow in responding to requests for assistance in police investigations, prompting him to ask the firm's chief executive for help, Bernama reported.

Fahmi cited a recent case where a man had falsely claimed on TikTok to be a pathologist involved in an investigation into the high-profile death of a Malaysian teenager, the report said.

"TikTok was very slow in providing information... to the point that I had to call TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew to inform him, 'this is a crime that's being committed and your organisation is very slow'," Fahmi was quoted as saying.

"We cannot allow such an attitude."

TikTok will be summoned to Malaysian police headquarters on Thursday, with the police chief and attorney-general expected to be in attendance, Fahmi said, according to Bernama.

Malaysia has stepped up scrutiny of social media companies in recent years, after reporting a sharp rise in harmful online content on their platforms.

Reuters