Checks by FMT revealed that accounts belonging to Bernama, Astro, Utusan, and Selangor TV had been banned.

Sub-accounts belonging to these news outlets, including that of FMT, have also been banned.

Yesterday, communications minister Fahmi Fadzil said TikTok had banned 23 accounts, including 18 belonging to media organisations, over their coverage of the sexual assault case.

He said TikTok had automatically removed the content.

TikTok confirmed earlier today that it had removed accounts belonging to several Malaysian publishers due to violations of its youth safety policies.

In a statement, TikTok said the publishers had shared images of the alleged sexual assault of a minor.

“To care for victims of child sexual exploitation, we do not allow recordings, clips, or images of their abuse,” it said.

According to TikTok’s guidelines, an account can be permanently banned if a user “posts, promotes, or facilitates youth exploitation or child sexual abuse material”.