'More than 117,000 offensive pieces of content removed after MCMC requests'

KUALA LUMPUR: Service providers have taken down more than 117,000 pieces of offensive content since 2022 following requests from the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Council.

Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil said these were 60,632 bullying-related, 55,895 fake and 1,277 defamatory pieces of content.

They were taken down between Jan 1, 2022, and Sept 15 this year, he added.

He said the government had strengthened the digital safety regulatory framework through the enforcement of the Online Safety Act 2025, which came into effect on Jan 1 this year.

He added that the move was aimed at addressing various threats and harmful content, including cyberbullying, defamation and the spread of fake news.

Fahmi said enforcement of the act was also supported by amendments to the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, as well as strategic cooperation with police under the Penal Code.

He added that these integrated measures were crucial to ensuring that the country's online service environment remained safe and responsible.

"From an enforcement perspective, MCMC works closely with police in providing technical assistance, sharing information, conducting digital forensic analysis, and coordinating content takedown measures and website blocking," he said.

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He said this in a written reply in the Dewan Rakyat to Muhammad Ismi Mat Taib (PN-Parit), who had asked the Communications Ministry to outline the preventive measures taken to address negative content on social media.

Fahmi said the government had also established a Special Committee on Combating Cyberbullying to coordinate preventive and enforcement measures in an integrated manner involving various ministries and agencies.

He said, as part of efforts to curb the spread of false information, MCMC had also strengthened the Sebenarnya.my (http://Sebenarnya.my/) portal, which published 1,211 fact-checking articles from 2022 to September this year.

"In addition, the introduction of the Artificial Intelligence Fact-check Assistant (AIFA) on Jan 28, 2025, enables the public to verify the accuracy of information more quickly.

"As of Sept 15, 2026, AIFA had processed a total of 242,706 messages from users," he said.

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Fahmi said public awareness efforts had also been intensified through the Safe Internet Campaign, launched in January last year, which had reached more than 2.8 million participants as of Sept 30 this year, through programmes conducted in schools, higher education institutions and communities nationwide.

He said the ministry would continue to strengthen cooperation with enforcement agencies, platform providers and the public without undermining the freedom of expression guaranteed under the Federal Constitution.