KUALA LUMPUR: Technology companies may be large, but they are not larger than the law, says Datuk Fahmi Fadzil (pic), warning social media platforms not to act as if national rules do not apply to them.
The Communications Minister said one of the biggest challenges faced by governments is ensuring compliance from global tech companies, which often operate across jurisdictions and resist regulatory pressure.
"The biggest problem we have is compliance.
"Some platforms behave as if they are supranational entities, larger than nations, and that our laws do not apply to them," he said in a special session on online safety and harassment at the Asean Law Association Standing Committee for Women in Law conference here on Wednesday (April 29).
The conference was organised in conjunction with the Women's Rights Conference by the Bar Council.
Fahmi warned that such attitudes, coupled with the vast resources and influence of major technology firms, posed a growing challenge for governments seeking to protect users, particularly women, from online harm.
"They have the technology, the data and the revenue. The question is, will they listen?" he said, adding that laws alone are not enough without cooperation from platform owners.
"Tech companies may be large, but they must not be larger than the law," he said.
Highlighting the realities of enforcement, Fahmi shared that authorities have had to take a firmer approach to ensure engagement from platform representatives.
"In one instance, we arranged discussions at Bukit Aman.
"I told (the company representatives) that we need to have a civil discussion about the situation. I also told them there are many rooms there, and we were meeting in the comfortable one," he said, drawing laughter from the floor.
"But the message was clear: these are serious matters, and people’s lives must be prioritised."
Fahmi also noted the importance of regional coordination, noting that unilateral action by a single country would have limited impact.
"That is why we need a whole-of-Asean approach. We are already engaging our counterparts on how to move forward collectively," he added.
Earlier, Singapore-based lawyer Stefanie Yuen Thio said platforms tend to respond more readily to pressure from communities than from governments alone.
She said her organisation found that content flagged through civil society channels was removed more quickly compared to reports initiated through official enforcement exercises.
"When concerns are raised by the community, platforms appear more receptive, as it reflects the standards of the society they operate in," she said.
Thio said this underscores the need for a "whole-of-society" approach, where governments, civil society and users work together to address online harm.
Fahmi concurred, adding that regional cooperation would further strengthen such efforts.
The session, titled "Online Safety and Harassment – Combating Online Violence and Promoting Digital Safety for Women in Asean", brought together policymakers, legal experts and civil society representatives from across the region.
