KUALA NERUS: The Online Safety Act 2024 passed by Parliament yesterday aims to enhance online safety for the Malaysian community, said Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil.
He said the law will not curtail freedom of speech, including among students.
“We have passed in Parliament yesterday a new law called the Online Safety Act 2024. Its purpose is to stress the obligations of social media platforms operating in Malaysia to address some safety issues, especially for children, and prevent scammers and illegal gambling on their platforms.
“It is not to stop young people from criticising,“ he said at a dialogue session with students of Universiti Sultan Zainal Abdin (UniSZA) in conjunction with the National Jouirnalists’ Day (HAWANA) Campus Tour here today.
Meanwhile, Fahmi said the decision to impose licensing requirements on social media platform operators was made to address the spread of unethical content, including scams and sensitive issues that cause public anxiety.
“These sensitive issues, which create public unease, are a significant challenge in today’s social media landscape. We find that social media platforms are often indifferent to the accuracy of uploaded content. Their primary focus is on viewership - the more views, the more ads they sell and the more revenue they get,“ he said.
Fahmi said platforms like Facebook earned substantial profits, citing RM2.5 million in advertising revenue from Malaysia alone last year and among the advertisements sold were those promoting gambling and scams.
“This is one of the reasons the government decided to require these platforms to be licensed. It is not intended to restrict freedom of expression, especially among students,“ he said.
Also present at the programme were Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) chief executive officer Datin Paduka Nur-ul Afida Kamaludin, its Editor-in-Chief Arul Rajoo Durar Raj and UniSZA vice-chancellor Professor Datuk Dr Fadzli Adam.
The Dewan Rakyat yesterday passed the Online Safety Bill 2024 through a split vote with 77 MPs voting in favour and 55 against. Ninety MPs were absent during the voting.
The Online Safety Act requires licensed application service providers and licensed content application service providers to take proactive measures to minimise the risk of users being exposed to harmful content.
The service providers are also required to issue user guidelines, including terms of use, to serve as a reference for responsible use of their platforms.
It also obligates the licensed providers to establish mechanisms that enable users to report content they believe to be harmful, ensuring a safer online environment for all.
