Teo says digital progress must be measured by accountability, resilience and public good, not just technological capabilities.
KUALA LUMPUR: Accountability and a people-centred approach are critical pillars in shaping a secure and inclusive digital future, said Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching.
In her closing remarks at the two-day International Regulatory Conference (IRC) 2026 today, she said digital progress must be measured not only by technological capabilities but also by accountability, resilience and whether innovation serves the public good.
“People will not judge technology only by how advanced it is; they will judge it by whether it is safe, fair and worthy of their confidence. The second insight is that technology and accountability must evolve together.
“The future of technology will be shaped not only by what we invent, but by the choices we make about how innovation is governed and whom it serves,” she said.
Highlighting the scale of online challenges, Teo revealed that the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) issued 1.2 million content removal requests to social media platforms between Jan 1, 2022 and July 15, 2026, of which 1.138 million harmful contents were successfully taken down by platform providers.
“From Jan 1 to July 15, 2026, MCMC has already issued a further 377,502 removal requests, equivalent to nearly 78% of the total requests recorded for the whole of 2025, representing an average of approximately 1,900 content removal requests issued each day.
“In response, platforms removed up to 350,332 harmful content during the period from Jan 1 to July 15 this year.
Meanwhile, Teo said regulations alone cannot bear the responsibility of safeguarding digital spaces and ensuring online safety, child protection and platform accountability.
She urged platforms, regulators, schools, communities and the broader industry to adopt a collective approach, ensuring safety is embedded into systems right from the design stage rather than reacting after harm occurs.
The third edition of the IRC, themed “Shaping the Next Digital Era: Regulation, Resilience and Trust”, which began yesterday, is a global platform organised by the MCMC, bringing together regulators, industry leaders and experts to discuss the digital economy and regulatory issues in the communications and multimedia sector.
