Minister of Digital Communications Fahmi Fadzil shared that Facebook, TikTok and YouTube agreed to take down 159,518 pieces of content related to gambling, online fraud, cyberbullying and fake news as of yesterday. This is part of the 174,473 pieces of content requested to be taken down throughout the year.
Of this, 51% involved online gambling activities, 25% related to fraud, 12% related to cyberbullying, and 9% was the spread of fake news. A total of 57% of the content taken down was on Facebook, followed by TikTok with 28% and YouTube with 13%.
Despite the ongoing efforts, concerns still arise regarding online child exploitation content, especially on Facebook. Fahmi also questioned whether the existing laws and level of cooperation are sufficient, or whether a more effective approach is needed to address this issue. He also referred to the Ops Pedo Beroperai operation that was carried out by PDRM and MCMC at the end of last year to address the problem.
To improve the safety of social media users, the Government introduced the licensing of social media platforms early last year. In addition, Parliament passed the Online Safety Act (OnSA) 2024 which will be enforced soon. This Act empowers MCMC to take action against platforms that do not carry out their responsibilities in protecting users.
With these measures, the government is trying to make the social media ecosystem safer and more controlled, especially for children.