This comes amid growing concern over freedom of speech, with Kuala Lumpur stepping up online censorship since 2023.
KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia’s move towards a licensing regime for social media and messaging platforms has stirred concerns of overreach among stakeholders who were privy to proposed plans in recent weeks.
Instead, proposals presented by the internet regulator, such as pre-emptive action to prevent offences, were met with pushback from the platform owners themselves as well as civil society. Sources say the Cabinet approved the licensing proposal in April, a month after the Communications Ministry told Parliament that the MCMC was finalising the framework. The plan, first mooted in late 2023, would involve the likes of Meta , Google, TikTok and X as well as a host of other platforms with more than eight million Malaysian users.
This comes amid growing concern over freedom of speech, with Kuala Lumpur stepping up online censorship to the point of asking TikTok – the short video sharing app widely seen as the platform where the opposition Perikatan Nasional is strongest – to restrict more content than any other country in the second half of 2023.
“To ensure the success and acceptance of this code, it is essential that the process is inclusive, collaborative and driven by stakeholders. We trust that the authorities will provide the necessary time and space for key contributors to develop a comprehensive and effective code,” she added. Malaysia has seen a surge in harmful content of late, with the MCMC receiving over 3,400 complaints of hate speech between 2020 and 2023. Within the same period, RM3.2 billion has been lost to online scams.In the face of growing criticism that its actions are politically motivated, the MCMC said on June 20 that over 70 per cent of its content removal requests were related to online gambling and scams.
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