THE government will take steps to ensure strengthen compliance with the law on social media platforms.

Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil said this following a statement by the Asean Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) yesterday calling for social media platforms to be held accountable for hate speech and divisive content. 

He said his ministry has held engagement sessions with major social media platforms such as TikTok, Telegram, Meta and X to ensure better compliance. with the law

“We hope to be able to make a substantial and substantive announcement soon. I have also met with APHR and this is one of the things which I had raised as well. On the part of the government, we see today that oftentimes, content that goes viral is usually unverified.

“I have read the Al-Jazeera report about the ongoing Palestine-Israel conflict and how a lot of fake news is also taking place on social media. Unfortunately, they highlighted Malaysia as a prime example of (a hotbed for) fake news,” he said at a press conference after the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) Capacity Development Awards Night yesterday.

Fahmi said MCMC has been told to look into the matter.

“It’s unfortunate that Malaysia has been called out on an international stage for spreading fake news about the Palestine-Israel conflict. But with regard to what APHR said, the ministry and regulators will definitely be assessing this matter.

“As we know, none of the social media platforms are registered or licensed by MCMC. We need to make sure everything is in order so give us a little bit of time and we’ll make an announcement soon,” he added.

On the meeting with TikTok in parliament earlier yesterday, he said details will be shared in a press statement today.

On the MCMC event, Fahmi said it aims to celebrate the achievements of individuals and organisations who have successfully participated and supported MCMC’s capacity development programmes.

“I also urge industry players to play a crucial role in developing capabilities to innovate and adapt to changing market conditions. Together, we can build a vibrant and competitive industry that can contribute significantly to the Malaysian economy,” he said.

The awards were divided into two categories – the Excellent Participant Award for Converged Telecommunication Policy and Regulations (CTPR) Masterclass 2023 and MCMC Chairman’s Recognition Award for MCMC Capacity Development Programme (CDeP) Top Participation 2023.

Among the winners of the CTPR category award were Rachel Chan Wai Lai (MCMC) and Khairul Akmal Zahri (TM) while the Malaysian Nuclear Agency, Maxis Broadband Sdn Bhd and the Health Ministry were the winners in the CDeP category. – Bernama, October 12, 2023.