Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching denied allegations that the government instructs social media platforms to remove critical content.
She stated that the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) only forwards complaints to platforms, which then make their own decisions, according to a news report by FMT.
Teo addressed concerns raised by Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman about increasing censorship of government-critical content on social media, attributing the rise in content removal to fake news and false content.
She emphasised that platform providers are multinational companies and make decisions based on their own guidelines.
Syed Saddiq criticised the government’s perceived suppression of criticism, citing examples of removed content.
Teo countered that platform providers do not take orders from governments and urged Syed Saddiq, as a prominent influencer, to be aware of this issue.
