THE Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) is considering adopting a licensing and regulatory framework similar to Australia and Canada’s approach to address online harm and media imbalance.

In a statement, MCMC said in a move to regulate digital platforms and the dissemination of harmful content, it had met with the Communications and Digital Ministry including online platforms Meta and Google yesterday.

The move is also to address the dissemination of online harm pertinent to child sexual abuse material, online gambling, content inciting 3R (race, royalty, and religion) discontent, scams and phishing, the sale and promotion of illegal drugs and prohibited substances, impersonation, the spread of disinformation, and fake news.

“The ministry and MCMC are engaging in discussions with major online platforms, including Meta and Google, to establish a licensing and regulatory framework,” it said in a statement today.

“Among these challenges is the imbalance in income for traditional advertising expenditure between digital platforms and local media to ensure fair compensation for news content creators.

“This effort goes beyond paying news creators and is the beginning of a revolution in artificial intelligence technology. The ministry and MCMC acknowledge the importance of this technology and aim to implement the rules for its implementation for fair and wise practice,” said MCMC today. 

“This includes plans to encourage fair competition, strengthen intellectual property rights, and protect consumers from online harm and privacy intrusion,” it added.

In December 2021, Australia enforced a mandatory news media bargaining code, which led to Google and Meta making voluntary compensation agreements with news outlets.

On April 27 this year, the Canadian parliament passed an online streaming law in an effort to govern digital outlets similar to how television and radio are already regulated.

The meeting yesterday took place at MCMC headquarters in Cyberjaya, which was co-chaired by the ministry’s secretary-general Mohamad Fauzi Md Isa and MCMC chairman Mohamad Salim Fateh Din. 

The discussion was also attended by MCMC commission member Derek Fernandez and the Malaysian police. –  September 5, 2023.