KUALA LUMPUR – Social media content that goes against community guidelines is removed only by the platform operator, and not on the orders of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said.
He reiterated this to opposition MPs in the Dewan Rakyat who said social media content critical of the government seemed to be removed more frequently of late.
“There is no law to compel social media platforms to take down content. We (the government) only seek their cooperation.
“MCMC can make requests, but sometimes the content is not taken down,” Fahmi said when winding up debates on the royal address today.
He was responding to Wan Saiful Wan Jan (Tasek Gelugor-PN) who asked how Putrajaya decided whether a social media post should be removed or not.
Wan Saiful added that whenever the opposition raised the issue of posts discussing government policies or current issues being removed, “the answer we get is always that it is the social media platform that removed it”.
“But if the platform is the one deciding arbitrarily, then shouldn’t the government complain to the platform?” Wan Saiful asked.
The PN lawmaker had also asked Fahmi to state whether the MCMC would send notes to social media operators instructing them to remove content.
In response, Fahmi said last year the MCMC filed 2,175 appeals to social media platforms to remove content on gambling, of which some 90% was taken down.
On content with false information, the minister said there had been 7,556 requests to remove such content, of which over 3,500 or 70% was taken down.
“The social media platforms are guided by their community guidelines,” Fahmi said.
Datuk Radzi Jidin (Putrajaya-PN) then asked Fahmi to categorically state the government’s commitment to freedom of speech, saying that online content critical of the government was blocked within Malaysia but accessible outside the country while social media posts that “merely discussed” facts were removed.
“Does the government do geofencing of content? That some content can be viewed outside the country but within Malaysia it is blocked?” Radzi asked.
To this, Fahmi replied: “When I checked, Putrajaya’s (social media) account is still accessible. So if Yang Berhormat wants to post something, he still can.”
This answer riled up Radzi, who said he was not talking about his own account specifically, but referring to other cases, such as a critical post on the weak ringgit.
Fahmi reiterated that if the government did not uphold free speech, Radzi would not be able to access his account. – March 13, 2024