PUTRAJAYA, April 9 — Social media platform providers TikTok and Meta have been urged to step up their monitoring efforts following the surge in harmful online content.
In a joint statement today, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) said the matter was agreed upon in a meeting with the two parties at MCMC's headquarters in Cyberjaya yesterday, chaired by Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil.
The meeting is a concerted effort by the MCMC together with various departments and enforcement agencies to address the spread of content that touches on the sensitivity of the 3R (race, religion, and royalty) issues.
The platform providers were also urged to effectively address 3R-related content by referring to platform guidelines and Malaysian laws.
“TikTok and Meta are urged to curb coordinated inauthentic behaviour, monitor and take immediate action on harmful content like scams and illegal online gambling,” said MCMC and PDRM.
According to MCMC's statistics, harmful content on social media and over-the-top (OTT) platforms has increased.
For the first three months of this year alone, 51,638 cases were referred to online platform providers for further action.
“This figure is higher than the 42,904 cases recorded throughout last year,” they said.
Other matters discussed in the meeting included improvements to online safety, especially the implementation of age verification measures that require users to be at least 13 years old to access social media platforms.
This is to safeguard children from being exposed to harmful content on social media platforms.
The meeting also discussed the effectiveness of algorithms that drive artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities to detect 3R content, coordinated inauthentic behaviour or any harmful content.
TikTok and Meta have been required to provide a comprehensive improvement plan and strategy, as agreed upon in the meeting.
Also present at the meeting were Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching, MCMC chairman Tan Sri Mohamad Salim Fateh Din, and National Security director-general Datuk Raja Nushirwan Zainal Abidin.
— Bernama
