KULAI: The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), in collaboration with social media platforms, removed 1,454 contents touching on issues of race, religion and royalty (3R) between January and March this year.
Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching said of the total, hate speech related to religion was the highest at 727, followed by racial issues (588) and the royal institution (139).
“Last year, MCMC removed a total of 1,633 3R-related contents, and in just the first three months of this year, a total of 1,454 3R contents have been taken down, which is very concerning,“ she told reporters during a visit to Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina (SJKC) Sawit here today.
Teo, who is also the Member of Parliament for Kulai, said the breakdown statistics showed that the highest number of 3R-related contents were detected through Facebook with 731, followed by TikTok (705); X (formerly Twitter) (nine); YouTube (five) and Telegram (four).
The Wanita DAP chief also expressed concerns that these cases would increase next month ahead of the Kuala Kubu Baharu by-election on May 11.
“Usually, during elections such as general elections (PRU), state elections (PRN), or by-elections (PRK), issues related to 3R are more frequently raised. Hopefully, this won’t happen in the Kuala Kubu Baharu by-election,“ she said.
“Some account owners are believed to be operating fake accounts or ‘invisible hands’ deliberately inciting anger and hatred by uploading 3R-related contents,“ she said.
Therefore, she advised the public to be wise users and not be influenced by 3R issues manipulated by the parties involved.
Regarding the meeting between the Ministry of Communications and MCMC with conglomerate Meta Platforms Inc (Meta) tomorrow, she said it aimed to discuss online safety issues.
She said the discussion would include 3R issues and the fact that those under 13 should not be allowed to open accounts on social media platforms.
Earlier, Teo handed over a contribution of RM30,000 to SJKC Sawit to repair the damaged kitchen mosaic at the school.
