Online Safety Act gazetted, enforcement pending completion of regulations
KUALA LUMPUR: The Online Safety Act 2024 will be enforced once the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) finalises 10 regulations needed to implement the law.
Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said the MCMC has been tasked with drafting the regulations.
"Five have been completed and there are five more that we need to manage, some of which involve ongoing discussions with industry stakeholders," he told reporters after attending the Tun Abdul Razak Broadcasting and Information Institute (IPPTAR) Open Day today.
Fahmi said the act was gazetted on May 22.
"We need a bit more time to finalise these regulations," he added.
Fahmi said he had discussed with Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said on the formation of the Online Safety Committee, which will be established under her purview, as stipulated in the act.
"I see no issue with setting up the committee while the guidelines are still being developed and finalised," he added.
On June 16, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform), Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said the Online Safety Act 2024 received royal assent from His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia.
She said the law had been gazetted and now awaits the signature of Fahmi to set the enforcement date.
Azalina said once signed and the law came into effect, the government would be able to immediately take down unlawful postings.
According to the law, there are also expectations on the platform providers to have a certain duty of care.
The Dewan Rakyat in December last year gave the nod to the Online Safety Bill which requires social media platform providers to comply with three main responsibilities, namely ensuring platform safety, protecting children under 13 and restricting access to harmful content.
These platforms would also need to submit an annual Digital Safety Plan detailing their safety strategies and accomplishments.
Meanwhile, in another development, Fahmi said the Malaysian Media Council will be involved in developing guidelines for the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the media sector.
"Based on the journalism code of ethics we have developed previously, we can have a similar set of guidelines for AI use.
"With the establishment of the Malaysian Media Council, I believe it has an important role to play. By involving the council, industry stakeholders as well as the government and ministry, we can carefully assess the benefits and exercise necessary caution when using AI, particularly in the media sector.
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