PUTRAJAYA: The government is ready to review expanding the definition of online harm to include disturbing or graphic content, such as photographs or video recordings of road accidents.
Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil (pic) said the move is intended to safeguard the sensitivities of the public, victims and families, as well as prevent interference with investigations.
He cited the recent fatal crash involving six members of a family in Kedah as an example, saying that the dashcam footage of the incident had been widely circulated online.
“Imagine if the family were to see the unfiltered footage? So, I hope the Online Safety Committee will consider this issue and invite stakeholders from social media platforms to take appropriate action. We want the platforms themselves to take action,” he said.
Fahmi said this at a press conference after the Media Roundtable on Safe and Responsible Suicide Reporting here yesterday, which was also attended by Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad.
Fahmi said the spread of such content, including incidents of suicide, was the result of the failure of social media platforms to take down such posts and not from media reports.
He said that one of the main constraints faced was the failure of artificial intelligence (AI) technology used by social media platform owners to detect sensitive content written in local languages.
“The problem is that much of the content is sometimes written in local languages and cannot be detected by AI if these platforms do not conduct engagement sessions,” he said, Bernama reported.
He added that the Communications Ministry, through the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), is working closely with the Online Safety Committee, chaired by Tan Sri Hasnah Mohammed Hashim, to study the matter.
Fahmi also warned that legal action could be taken against any platform operator who fails to regulate content under existing provisions.
“Platforms must take action. If they fail to do so, and we find that there are complaints, then the MCMC can take action against these platforms under the Online Safety Act (2025),” he added.
