Govt aims to implement digital identity verification on all social media platforms by Q2 2026 to enforce age restrictions and combat online scams.
KOTA MARUDU: The government aims to have all social media platforms implement electronic Know Your Customer (eKYC) verification by the end of the second quarter of 2026.
Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said this measure will enforce the minimum age requirement of 16 for social media account creation.
The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission has been instructed to engage with all platforms and give them a reasonable adoption period.
Fahmi noted that this timeframe considers successful implementations in other countries like Australia.
The mechanism will include processes to freeze accounts belonging to children under 16.
It will also provide procedures to restore access once users reach the required age.
The eKYC rollout will use identity documents such as passports, MyKad and MyDigital ID for verification.
Fahmi emphasised this is crucial not only for age enforcement but also to combat scams and online gambling.
Many scammers and illegal gambling operators use fake accounts that eKYC would help eliminate.
On another matter, Fahmi announced plans to add another National Information Dissemination Centre in Sabah.
Sabah currently has 131 such centres, the second-highest number nationwide after Sarawak.
Several potential locations are being assessed based on geography, accessibility and population density.
