Social media platforms urged to join CMCF to ensure ethical content

New Straits Times

03-06-2025

PETALING JAYA: All social media platforms should join the Communications and Multimedia Content Forum of Malaysia (CMCF) to ensure more ethical content, says Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil.
The minister, when making the call, said CMCF was industry-led and it was in their interest to develop best practices for the industry.
Fahmi said currently, only TikTok was a member of the CMCF, while Facebook, Instagram and X were not despite many invitations.
"They have given many excuses, and as Mediha Mahmood (CMCF chief executive officer) mentioned, Facebook said they would be licensed. TikTok, on the other hand, took an early step even before the licensing regime and voluntarily became a member of the CMCF.
"I wholeheartedly applaud TikTok's approach. But Facebook, Instagram and X are far from satisfactory.
"I will communicate with them. The CMCF is not government-led; it is industry-led. It is actually in their own interest to help develop certain best practices and codes of conduct," he said to reporters at the Suicide Content Guidelines launch today.
Fahmi expressed hope that the Suicide Content Guidelines could be digested and practised by all parties in a media organisation.
"If we want to bring about structural change, the whole organisation needs to understand the importance of respecting certain principles.
"Following this, I asked the CMCF to undertake a few things. Firstly, to conduct workshops with as many media organisations in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak, so that all parties understand the core elements of the guidelines that have been launched.
"Secondly, we need to involve not just mainstream media, but also social media platforms. These platforms, such as TikTok, Facebook and others, must understand that anything which leads to what may not necessarily be categorised as a news report but is still displayed or featured on their platforms must be addressed accordingly.
"We cannot have the social media platforms washing their hands of content that could also create online harm, particularly content related to suicide," he said.
Fahmi, who just came back from the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity Ministerial Meeting (APT-MM) 2025, said that all countries were facing issues with social media platforms. He said the platforms seem to think that they are above the law.
"Many of these social media platforms seem to think they are above the laws of countries in the Southeast Asian region, or even the Asia-Pacific. So, this is not merely a legal issue. It is also about the attitude of these platforms.
"One could say they are profit-driven. When it comes to making money, they move very fast. But when it comes to complying with the laws, they are extremely slow," he said.
He added that he had spoken to his counterparts both in the Asia-Pacific region and Southeast Asia, who were facing the same predicament.
"What we have managed to achieve is the Kuala Lumpur Declaration, which was agreed upon during the Asean Ministers Responsible for Information meeting in Brunei in early May. This Kuala Lumpur Declaration will be adopted during the 47th Asean Summit this coming October.
"This declaration is essentially a statement of intent by Asean countries to face these social media companies as a united front, or at least with a common goal.
"Economically, we do hope these platforms can contribute to the digital economy. But when it comes to social security and national security, for Asean countries, these platforms must comply with the laws of our respective nations in the Southeast Asian region and Asia-Pacific as a whole," he said.
Meanwhile, Communications and Multimedia Content Forum of Malaysia (CMCF) chairman Rafiq Razali, in his speech during the launching ceremony, said the guidelines aim to create a framework that protects the vulnerable, empowers the informed, and supports a healthier and more compassionate national discourse.
"We are not alone in this mission. We are part of a broader movement — one that sees ethical storytelling as a tool for advocacy, awareness, and, ultimately, prevention and preservation.
"In an era when headlines compete for attention and social media posts go viral in seconds, it is essential that our content practices are guided by intention and empathy.
"The way we talk about suicide matters, and it's crucial that we do so with care and intention," he said.