Hasnah Hashim heads 9-member online safety committee

The panel's functions include advising MCMC on the classification of harmful and priority content such as child sexual abuse material and financial fraud.

Retired chief judge of Malaya Hasnah Hashim has been appointed as the chairman of the online safety committee, with Lim Thean Shiang as her deputy. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA:

 Nine members have been appointed to the online safety committee formed under the Online Safety Act 2025, which came into force yesterday.

Drawn from diverse backgrounds of expertise spanning the public sector, private sector, and civil society, they will serve for a three-year term until Dec 31, 2028.

Law and institutional reform minister Azalina Othman Said said retired chief judge of Malaya Hasnah Hashim has been appointed as chairman, while Lim Thean Shiang serves as deputy chairman, Bernama reported.

The other committee members include Barhoum Abe Abed, representing licensed applications service providers; Kasyful Azim Ab Rahman as the representative of licensed network service providers, and Ruzimi Mohamed, representing persons with disabilities.

Also appointed were Zurkarnain Yasin, Thiyagu Ganesan, Jahaberdeen Yunoos and Wathshlah Naidu.

Azalina said the committee will not merely play an administrative role, but also carry out substantive functions, including advising the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission on the classification of harmful and priority content such as child sexual abuse material and financial fraud.

She said the committee will also determine risk analysis methods and mitigation strategies to protect users from online harm, assess the effectiveness of complaint mechanisms, and monitor enforcement against illegal content.

The committee will also conduct technical research and expert analysis on emerging cybercrime trends, including the misuse of artificial intelligence technology and the use of deepfakes. - FMT