Removal requests: MCMC says protecting users, not stifling dissent

 

The Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) says it is trying to protect internet users from an increasing amount of harmful online content.

Its statement last night came following a report earlier yesterday saying social media platforms have seen a sharp increase in content removal requests from Malaysian authorities.

“The MCMC clarifies that these efforts are aimed at protecting users from the significant increase of online harms and not about stifling diverse views,” it said in the statement.

It claimed to have recorded 1,019 instances of harmful online content last year, such as scams, illegal sales, gambling, misinformation, and hate speech.

In 2023, that figure has increased 24-fold to 25,642 instances. The statement did not disclose the date range covered by that statistic.

“Hate speech, in particular, has the potential to incite violence, discrimination, and harassment, highlighting the importance of enforcing rules and regulations for content moderation and removal to safeguard users from online harms.

“It is essential for the government, regulatory bodies, and over-the-top platforms to work together to address these issues while upholding the diversity of views. This is to ensure the safety and well-being of all users in the online space,” it said.

Yesterday, Reuters reported that Meta has restricted 3,100 pages and posts on its Facebook and Instagram platforms - from January to June this year - from being viewed by users in Malaysia because they were reported to have allegedly violated Malaysian laws.

The figure was reportedly six times higher than the previous half-year period, and the highest since Meta started reporting content restrictions in Malaysia in 2017.

The figures were reported in Meta’s semi-annual transparency report, which did not disclose the total number of removal requests received from Malaysian law enforcement authorities.

The same Reuters report also quoted a similar report by TikTok last month, which disclosed 340 requests from the Malaysian government to remove or restrict content from Malaysia during the first half of this year.

This was higher than any other government in Southeast Asia.

A total of 890 posts and accounts were affected by the removal requests, of which 815 were removed or restricted.

This is the highest in any six-month period since TikTok started reporting removal requests from Malaysia in 2019 and was triple the number that TikTok removed in the second half of last year. - Mkini