KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 20 — There are no double standards or favouritism in the government’s efforts to curb social media misuse.
The Communications and Digital Ministry (KKD) said in a written reply published on the Parliament website today that the government was committed to ensure suitable action is taken against individuals or parties, regardless of background and political creed, if they were found to have committed an offence.
The ministry said enforcement action would be taken based on the provision of existing laws and on the number of complaints from the public and affected parties without any bias.
“Restrictions will not be imposed on any individual to express their feelings and thoughts as long as they are within legal boundaries. This is to ensure that social media is not misused till it threatens the peace and stability of the country,” the ministry said.
It was responding to Jerantut MP Khairil Nizam Khirudin, who asked whether the government was biased or practised double standards where social media, especially TikTok accounts claiming that the freedom of the opposition had been restricted, while Twitter accounts spreading pornography or ‘dark side’ accounts were left alone.
The ministry added that 176 complaints were received and investigated by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) from 2020 to 2022 over offences under Section 233 of the MCMC Act 1998.
From the total, 22 cases were charged in court, with 19 cases completed and perpetrators sentenced to fines totalling RM111,000, while three cases are still in trial.
“The MCMC also reported that 217 Twitter accounts were found to have uploaded pornographic content and all the accounts and websites have been blocked,” the ministry said.
Bans on social media platforms were not the ultimate solution, as dark-side social media issues were closely related to social problems that required a holistic approach.
Efforts to curb and prevent negative influences, including pornography and social media misuse, especially among youth, were a shared responsibility and required constant effort by all parties, especially parents and guardians.
— Bernama
