Bumpy road to good intentions?

Governments around the world are responding to the credible threat of online scams. Measures to build society’s resilience towards scams must be doubled down moving forward. — Photo: FAIHAN GHANI/The Star

DEBATE is rife following reports that the government is planning to regulate social media platforms.

On one hand, proponents argue — and sometimes quite rightfully — that social media platforms have not been diligent enough in removing harmful content such as scams, child sexual abuse material and hate speech, amongst others. Detractors on the other hand, put forward that a licensing regime could open room for abuse, especially if the parameters of the licensing framework remain unclear.