The Malaysian government’s proposed initiative to mandate licenses for social media platforms is allegedly nearing its final stages, having recently received Cabinet approval.
This was reported by The Straits Times, citing sources. The report said the proposed regulations would enforce a content code on these platforms, including specific guidelines for political content.
The cabinet’s endorsement of the licensing requirement occurred in April, but the formal announcement, initially scheduled for July, has been postponed to gather feedback from industry stakeholders.
In discussions with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), several content regulation proposals have been put forward.
These proposals include preemptive measures against violations, which have faced opposition from both platform owners and civil society groups.
Additionally, there are suggestions to audit the content moderation processes and algorithms of these platforms and to implement a “kill switch” for removing objectionable content.
At present, MCMC issues takedown requests to social media platforms for specific content. For instance, TikTok reported that between June and December 2023, the Malaysian government made the highest number of takedown requests globally, totalling 1,862 requests.
Furthermore, Meta also restricted access in Malaysia to over 4,700 items reported by the MCMC related to illegal gambling content, scams, posts on regulated goods, offensive 3R (race, religion and royalty) comments and cyberbullying.
The MCMC has defended its actions, emphasising the need to protect social media users from harmful content.
