ONSA FOCUSES ON HARMFUL CONTENT, NOT INDIVIDUAL USERS OR PRIVATE CONVERSATIONS - MCMC

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 3 (Bernama) -- The Online Safety Act (OnSA) does not target individual users or private conversations. Instead, it focuses on harmful content such as fraud, exploitation, and impersonation by placing the onus for regulation squarely on digital platforms.

Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) deputy managing director (Development), Eneng Faridah Iskandar, said the Act was drafted to ensure a safer digital space in response to increasingly sophisticated online fraud, including the abuse of deepfake technology and artificial intelligence (AI).

"It does not target private conversations or individual opinions. The regulatory responsibility is assigned to platforms based on clearly defined types of harm.

"The Act's focus is on harmful actions or behaviours, not on freedom of speech. Its goal is to ensure a safer online environment, especially for children and those under our care, so they can interact with confidence," she said during Bernama TV’s Ruang Bicara programme titled "OnSA Fights Fraud". 

Eneng Faridah added that the marked rise in fraud cases in recent years has made stricter regulation of digital platforms imperative, given the growing criminal use of fraudulent advertisements and identity theft to deceive the public.

She emphasised that digital platforms are in the best position to detect such activities, as they possess the technological capability and control over the content appearing within their user spaces.

"The platform is the final line of defence, as fraud often originates through advertisements, messages, or interactions on social media. They must be more proactive and not merely wait for repeated user reports," she said.

Eneng Faridah explained that the Act mandates platforms to provide easy reporting, clear safety guidelines, and protective tools for online risk management.

It also requires platforms to be more stringent in identifying underage users and filtering harmful content, in line with its child protection provisions.

She also stressed that while AI technology can facilitate fraud, it can also be leveraged to detect fraudulent patterns, filter harmful content and combat online crime.

OnSA is backed by multiple agencies, including Bank Negara Malaysia and the Royal Malaysia Police, which are working with the MCMC to strengthen Malaysia's digital defences against fraud.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform), Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, previously announced that OnSA was gazetted on May 22 and is expected to come into force on Jan 1 next year.

-- BERNAMA