CMA AMENDMENT ENHANCES ONLINE SAFETY, TARGETS CYBERBULLYING AND OFFENSIVE CONTENT - MCMC

KUALA LUMPUR, March 19 (Bernama) -- The amendment to the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (Act 588) which took effect on Feb 11, aims to enhance online safety and address the growing concerns surrounding cyberbullying and offensive content on the internet.

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) Head of Regulatory Policy Division Devi Annamalai said the recent amendment was an important step in regulating the long-term benefits of end users, ensuring the safety and well-being of the public, especially in the digital age.

"What we want to do is to send out a strong message especially with the recent cyberbullying cases, where we actually have seen some people deeply affected until they go to the extent of taking their own life. 

"That is something that we don't want to be repeated in the country’s landscape so when we are looking at those incidents and scenarios we have to enhance the provisions to make it more deterrent- the penalties for offences are much higher," she said during BERNAMA TV's 'The Nation' programme, titled Think Before You Click: Online Safety in the Digital Age today. 

The amendment to Act 588 was passed in Dewan Rakyat (Communications and Multimedia) through a bloc vote, on Dec 9, last year and gazzeted on Feb 7.

Devi said the amendment, which involved over 200 revisions to existing provisions of the act, include stricter regulations on content deemed indecent, obscene, false, or grossly offensive. 

For instance, the amendment to Section 211, which pertains to service providers such as broadcasters and radio stations, had been updated to impose higher penalties for up to RM1 million on the offences while the amendment of Section 233 addressed the improper use of network facilities by individual user, including the posting of obscene, threatening, or indecent content on social media platforms or through electronic communication. 

"When I talk about these amendments, this (blue bill) is public document, anybody can have a look at it and it gives you clarity what is not allowed…maybe it is a bit more difficult to understand (the legislative terms) but if you go to our website, we provide some simplified reference on what kind of things is offensive and so on.

"... it is important because when you are online and you are posting things, you are thinking it is not serious but actually what you post could be an offence under the newly amended Penal Code and newly amended Section 233," she said.

Devi said apart from that, other laws in the country are being amended in regard to curbing cyberbullying, namely the Penal Code as it involves most of the provisions that would be used to charge offences related to cyberbullying. 

Highlighting the tragic case of Rajeswary Appahu, better known as Esha, who became the victim of cyberbullying during a live session on social media, she said MCMC also introduced the licensing framework which is targeted to social media platform providers and internet messaging providers.

She said this is to ensure that these platforms take greater responsibility for the content shared on their services. 

Meanwhile, Devi said MCMC is currently working on the development of the National Online Safety Framework, as part of a broader national effort to combat online harms, adding that the framework will serve as a multi-pronged approach.

She said the framework aims to provide a comprehensive blueprint for managing online safety in Malaysia, ensuring that all relevant stakeholders are involved in tackling the issue from multiple angles. 

"Education and awareness is very critical, this is not a one-off, you go and tell people this is suspicious do not click and all that, it doesn't stop there. This education awareness is something that has to continuously, so what we are doing in the commission now we are coming out with a national framework for online safety," she said. 

Devi also reminded the public to be continuously vigilant on practicing online safety by being cautious of suspicious links and not engage or click links from unknown, unverified sources.

-- BERNAMA