Latest news with #OnSA)2024


The Sun
3 days ago
- General
- The Sun
Social media regulation: Fahmi ready to hold further discussions with Azalina
KUALA LUMPUR: Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil has expressed his readiness to hold further discussions with Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform), Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, to strengthen the regulation of social media platforms in Malaysia. Fahmi said the meeting is vital following Azalina's recent proposal to amend existing laws, including requiring parents and guardians to monitor their children's online behaviour and participate in digital safety awareness and education programmes. He said that these measures will take into account the experience and approaches of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and the Ministry of Communications in handling various issues related to digital platforms and social media in the country. 'I will be meeting Datuk Seri Azalina to explore possible ways, based on MCMC's and the Ministry's experience dealing with social media platforms, on what we can do,' Fahmi told reporters after the HAWANA 2025-Bernama Strategic Partners' Appreciation Ceremony and Official Launch of BERNAMA Motorhome at Wisma Bernama here today. Present were Communications Ministry secretary-general Datuk Mohamad Fauzi Md Isa, as well as Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) chief executive officer Datin Paduka Nur-ul Afida Kamaludin and editor-in-chief Arul Rajoo Durar Raj, who is also HAWANA 2025 project director. Elaborating, Fahmi said that the Online Safety Act (OnSA) 2024, which is set to be enforced soon, will grant MCMC the authority to take action against social media platforms that fail to fulfil their obligations. 'So, we will look at the best ways to assist the Law Minister in the implementation and drafting of the legislation she mentioned,' he added.


The Sun
3 days ago
- General
- The Sun
Social media regulation: Fahmi ready to hold further discussions
KUALA LUMPUR: Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil has expressed his readiness to hold further discussions with Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform), Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, to strengthen the regulation of social media platforms in Malaysia. Fahmi said the meeting is vital following Azalina's recent proposal to amend existing laws, including requiring parents and guardians to monitor their children's online behaviour and participate in digital safety awareness and education programmes. He said that these measures will take into account the experience and approaches of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and the Ministry of Communications in handling various issues related to digital platforms and social media in the country. 'I will be meeting Datuk Seri Azalina to explore possible ways, based on MCMC's and the Ministry's experience dealing with social media platforms, on what we can do,' Fahmi told reporters after the HAWANA 2025-Bernama Strategic Partners' Appreciation Ceremony and Official Launch of BERNAMA Motorhome at Wisma Bernama here today. Present were Communications Ministry secretary-general Datuk Mohamad Fauzi Md Isa, as well as Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) chief executive officer Datin Paduka Nur-ul Afida Kamaludin and editor-in-chief Arul Rajoo Durar Raj, who is also HAWANA 2025 project director. Elaborating, Fahmi said that the Online Safety Act (OnSA) 2024, which is set to be enforced soon, will grant MCMC the authority to take action against social media platforms that fail to fulfil their obligations. 'So, we will look at the best ways to assist the Law Minister in the implementation and drafting of the legislation she mentioned,' he added.


The Sun
17-05-2025
- Business
- The Sun
MCMC to review 4G coverage disparity among telcos
CYBERJAYA: The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) will examine the disparity in 4G Coverage of Populated Areas (CoPA) among telecommunications companies (telcos) in different locations, said Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil. He said that although Malaysia has achieved an overall 92 per cent 4G CoPA nationwide, coverage levels vary significantly between telcos. 'Some telcos have CoPA as low as 76 per cent, while others go up to 86 per cent,' he told reporters after officiating the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day 2025 celebration here today. Fahmi said he had instructed MCMC to provide detailed reports showing both the national aggregate and individual telco CoPA, broken down by state. 'We want to make sure that when Malaysians pay for Internet packages, they receive coverage across the country - not just in selected areas. We're paying for nationwide access,' he said. Fahmi stressed that 4G services must be available throughout Malaysia, and that the government had been actively working to enhance network-sharing among telcos. 'I've worked hard to get all telcos to participate in network sharing, and we formalised this through a recently published framework,' he said. On another development, Fahmi said the soon-to-be-enforced Online Safety Act (OnSA) 2024 would play a crucial role in holding social media platforms accountable for the content they host, particularly in protecting users from scams and online harm. He emphasised that OnSA would compel platforms to share the responsibility of ensuring a safer digital environment. 'One of the key objectives is to make sure that social media platforms are responsible for the kind of content available on their platforms,' he said. Fahmi also raised concerns over the lack of action by major platforms, especially Facebook, in tackling scam and gambling advertisements, despite these being paid content. 'For example, there are many scam and gambling ads, yet Facebook hasn't done enough to remove them - simply because scammers are paying for them,' he said. 'As such, we're waiting for the Online Safety Act to receive royal assent, and once it comes into effect, we believe that the OnSA will play a pivotal role,' he added. Passed by Parliament in December last year, the OnSA will require social media platform providers to meet three core responsibilities: ensuring platform safety, protecting children under the age of 13, and limiting access to harmful content. Platforms will also be required to issue clear user guidelines, including terms of use, and provide mechanisms for users to report harmful or offensive content.