KUALA LUMPUR – The Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has successfully taken down 1,147 cyberbullying-related content with the cooperation of social media platform operators between January to November 15.
Speaking at the Dewan Rakyat during the Ministers’ Question Time, this morning, Deputy Communications and Digital Minister Teo Nie Ching said content which were brought down comprise 804 from (TikTok), 195 (Facebook), seven (X, formerly known as Twitter), and nine each from Instagram and Youtube, as well as 123 from other platforms.
She said among the steps taken to prevent the misuse of social media were through various advocacy initiatives aimed at raising awareness about the use of social media as well as exposing risks and threats of internet abuse. This includes Klik Dengan Bijak (KDB) and Sukarelawan ICT Malaysia initiatives.
“MCMC, in collaboration with enforcement agencies and stakeholders involved, continuously conducts advocacy to users through various platforms including the portal sebenarnya.my, KDB, SMS announcements, social media, television, and radio broadcasts, to foster public awareness and vigilance regarding risks and the modus operandi of cyberbullying,” she said.
Teo was answering a question from Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin (Masjid Tanah-PN) about measures taken to prevent the abuse of social media, to the extent that there have been reported cases of suicide due to cyber bullying across the TikTok platform.
Additionally, Teo also answered an additional question by Hassan Abdul Karim (Pasir Gudang-PH), on whether MCMC had the authority to investigate and prosecute cases under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act (CMA) 1998 by confirming that the commission had the authority to do so.
“However, if a case is investigated by the police, MCMC will not investigate because it will lead to a double prosecution. But if the police do not investigate, the MCMC still has the authority to act.
“If you want to bring a case to court for investigation, a high-profile case, MCMC needs to refer to the police and the Attorney-General’s Department first,” she said.
She added 65 communication-related cases had been brought to court under Section 233 of the CMA 1998 since 2018 until the middle of this month, while 876 cases had been investigated under the same section this year. – November 27, 2023