KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 60,632 pieces of bullying-related content were taken down by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) between 2022 and Sept 15, 2026, the Dewan Rakyat was told.
Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil said 1,277 pieces of defamatory content and 55,895 pieces of false content were also taken down by service providers during the same period, following requests from MCMC.
“The government, through the Communications Ministry, takes the misuse of social media to spread negative and harmful content, such as defamatory material, cyberbullying and false news, very seriously.
“In this regard, various preventive, regulatory and enforcement measures are being implemented in an integrated manner to ensure a safer and more responsible online environment,” he said in a written parliamentary reply on Tuesday (Nov 3).
He was responding to Muhammad Ismi Mat Taib (PN-Parit), who had asked about the preventive measures taken to address negative content on social media.
Fahmi said that, aside from enforcement action, the government had also strengthened the responsibilities of service providers through the implementation of the Online Safety Act 2025 (Act 866) to address harmful online content, including content related to cyberbullying that falls under the provisions of the Act.
“These efforts have also been reinforced through the establishment of a special committee to address cyberbullying, comprising relevant ministries and agencies, to coordinate preventive measures and enforcement efforts in an integrated manner,” he said.
To curb the spread of false news, he said Sebenarnya.my, a national fact-checking platform, had published 1,211 articles between Jan 1, 2022, and Sept 15, 2026.
“These efforts were further strengthened with the introduction of the Artificial Intelligence Fact-check Assistant (AIFA) on Jan 28, 2025.
“The assistant had processed 242,706 messages as at Sept 15, 2026, to help the public verify the accuracy of information before sharing it,” he said.
He added that MCMC had been implementing the Safe Internet Campaign since January 2025 to raise public awareness and digital literacy, particularly about the risks of cyberbullying, the spread of false information, and the ethical and responsible use of social media.
“As at Sept 30, 2026, the campaign had reached more than 2.8 million participants through programmes in schools, higher education institutions and communities nationwide.
“The government will continue to strengthen cooperation with enforcement agencies, platform providers and the public to curb the misuse of social media, while fostering a culture of ethical and responsible digital communication.
“This approach takes into account the need to protect users’ safety while respecting freedom of expression, in accordance with the Federal Constitution and the laws in force,” he said.
