KUALA LUMPUR — The government is developing a code of conduct for social media platforms out of concern that online fraud, cyberbullying and sexual grooming of children have migrated to these channels.
The code is expected to be completed in October, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said.
Fahmi said according to police information, these crimes have migrated to social media but the platforms have not been proactive in addressing the issues.
“The code of conduct will address these issues comprehensively and focus on these three major crimes.
“This was communicated to me by the Royal Malaysia Police, particularly the Criminal Investigation Department and the Commercial Crime Investigation Department,” he told reporters at a free vaccination programme for the Kerinchi People’s Housing Project in Pantai Dalam today.
The Lembah Pantai MP said the code of conduct will provide guidelines for managing social media platforms, ensuring that operators adhere to national laws, and will also outline actions to be taken against violations.
Fahmi added that an engagement session was held on September 3 and the matter will be discussed further as it needs to be agreed upon by all parties before the licensing of social media services is enforced on January 1, 2025.
“Previously, in meetings addressing issues such as paedophilia and related matters, we often found that the cooperation provided was unsatisfactory.
“For instance, there have been complaints that when individuals upload images and videos of their children; their content gets removed, while some other accounts featuring unrelated individuals can gain hundreds of thousands of followers and views. I hope these platforms are ready to assist and cooperate,” he said.
Fahmi noted that currently, content related to children must comply with the Child Act 2001. He urged all parties involved in creating content featuring children to be aware of and adhere to the Act.
Last Friday, Fahmi reported that the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) is developing a code of conduct as a guideline for social media platforms, enabling action against users who violate it. — September 8, 2024