KUALA LUMPUR: More than 56,000 pieces of harmful online content containing false information have been taken down over the past three years, says Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching.
She said the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) had submitted 65,680 removal requests to service providers between Jan 1, 2023, and Oct 15 this year, 56,304 or 86% of them successful.
"The action was based on assessments of complaints received, compliance with platform community guidelines and applicable laws," she said during the question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat on Wednesday (Oct 28).
Datuk Rosol Wahid (PN-Hulu Terengganu) wanted the government to provide statistics on fake news cases since 2023, the action taken and the penalties imposed.
Teo added that during the same period, MCMC investigated 546 cases involving false content under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.
Of these, 19 cases were brought to court, with 12 having been decided, resulting in total fines of RM75,500.
"Meanwhile, 34 cases were compounded, involving a total of RM1.72mil.
"Warning letters were issued in 74 cases, 29 cases remain under investigation, and 390 cases were classified as requiring no further action," she said.
She added that the government would continue to strengthen efforts to curb the spread of fake news through legislation and appropriate enforcement action to ensure that the digital space remained safe, responsible and trustworthy, and to protect the public from the harm caused by false information.
