KUALA LUMPUR – The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has been given until the end of this year to finalise 10 subsidiary instruments needed to ensure the effective enforcement of the Online Safety Act (ONSA) 2024, which came into effect last month.
Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said the instruments, covering procedures, administrative frameworks and mechanisms for classifying online harm, were essential to making the law work.
“I’ve requested that the instruments be completed by year-end, if not sooner. ONSA has already been in force since July, but for it to work properly, these 10 instruments must be in place. That’s our focus now.
“What we want most is a safer online environment and reduced harm,” he told reporters after attending his ministry’s monthly assembly today.
Fahmi also reprimanded the MCMC for the delays in drafting the instruments and urged immediate action, saying the public is demanding greater accountability from social media platforms over cybercrime scams.
He cited the misuse of economist Prof Jomo Kwame Sundaram’s image on Facebook as an example of deepfake technology being deployed to deceive users.
With measures such as an Online Safety Code in place, he said, platforms would be barred from hosting or distributing content involving impersonations or deepfakes.
“The Law Minister, Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, has already written to me asking for ONSA’s implementation to be accelerated. I urge MCMC’s legal team to expedite this process,” he added.
Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching had earlier announced that the instruments, comprising regulations and implementation codes, were originally expected to be completed between the fourth quarter of this year and the second quarter of 2026, depending on their complexity. — August 25, 2025