MCMC protects online users, not political tool, says Fahmi

 The communications minister says it is up to the respective social media platforms whether to remove any content.

Communications minister Fahmi Fadzil said all platform providers operating in the country had so far cooperated with the government, particularly in dealing with content touching on racial, religious and royal sensitivities.

KUALA LUMPUR:

The government has never used the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) as a political tool to restrict anyone’s freedom of expression, particularly on social media, says communications minister Fahmi Fadzil.

Instead, he said, MCMC plays an important role in regulating social media platforms in the country to safeguard public safety in the digital space.

“There are many misunderstandings, for example regarding the removal of content on social media platforms such as Facebook. It is not a minister who decides, not Fahmi Fadzil, not MCMC, but the platform itself.

“MCMC is a tool for (the safety of) the people. They complain about cyberbullying, the dissemination of intimate images, scams and many other things. So, if people want MCMC’s services, then MCMC should serve them,” he said as a guest on The Tiger Show podcast hosted by journalist Amin Iskandar.

Elaborating further, Fahmi said any report and complaint received by MCMC would be referred to the platform providers for further action in accordance with their respective community guidelines and the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (Act 588).

“For example, if I complain to MCMC, I make the complaint myself, but it does not necessarily mean the content will be removed. The one removing the content is Facebook or TikTok if they review it and agree that the content violates the law.

“That is why, say, MCMC now sends almost half a million requests to remove content, perhaps only 90% of the total is removed, because this is an action by the platform provider, not a decision made by MCMC,” he said.

Fahmi said all platform providers operating in the country had so far cooperated with the government, particularly in dealing with content touching on racial, religious and royal sensitivities, known as 3Rs.

“However, for things such as satire and mockery, the platforms will usually say that the content does not violate the law,” he said.

Meanwhile, on his plans to make digital platforms safer for the public, Fahmi said the ministry’s current priority was cross-ministry collaboration to regulate the digital economy, particularly e-commerce.

“As I oversee the telco and courier sectors, we receive complaints from shop owners because many goods are now being sold without adequate quality, with no monitoring, and at prices that are too low, which has severely affected many of our traders, including Bumiputera traders.

“So, I want to resolve this together with the finance and domestic trade and consumer affairs ministries,” he said.

Fahmi said without prompt action, the country could face a glut of products, particularly electrical and electronic goods that do not meet Sirim standards and could pose risks to consumers. - FMT