3 days ago
Fahmi says Meta, X not doing enough to curb online harm
Published on: Tuesday, June 03, 2025
Published on: Tue, Jun 03, 2025
By: Minderjeet Kaur, FMT Text Size: Communications minister Fahmi Fadzil and CMCF chairman Rafiq Razali launching guidelines for the reporting and sharing of suicide-related content at Cybertorium Star Tower, Petaling Jaya. PETALING JAYA: Communications minister Fahmi Fadzil took social media giants Meta and X to task today for not doing enough to tackle cyberbullying, scams, and harmful content online. He said only TikTok had shown real commitment by voluntarily joining the Communications and Multimedia Content Forum of Malaysia (CMCF). 'We cannot have these social media platforms washing their hands of content that could also create online harm, particularly related to suicide,' he said when launching CMCF's guidelines for the reporting and sharing of suicide-related content here today. Fahmi said he had asked CMCF to engage with Meta, X, and other major players, but that none came forward to participate. He said TikTok, on the other hand, took the initiative 'very early on, even before we came up with the licensing regime for social media and online messaging systems'. 'I wholeheartedly applaud TikTok's approach to voluntarily becoming a member of Content Forum,' he said, contrasting this with the 'far from satisfactory' response from Meta and X. 'Facebook, for example, said that they are going to be licensed. But they must understand that Content Forum is not government-led. It's industry-led. It's actually in their interest to participate so they can help develop best practices and codes of conduct.' Malaysians lost RM53.88 billion to online scams in 2024 – around 3% of the gross domestic product. From 2021 to April 2024, online scams claimed over US$708 million (RM3.18 billion) with more than 95,800 victims, according to the State of Scam Report 2024. Suicide rates have also risen sharply. In 2022, Malaysia recorded 1,068 suicide deaths – up 66.6% from 641 cases in 2020. Selangor had the highest number of cases (305), followed by Kuala Lumpur (135), Johor and Penang (123 each). Fahmi also called on vernacular media to support suicide prevention efforts, saying that mental health resources should be made available in all major languages. 'We need to reach out to the vernacular press. A lot of the content is in English, but our efforts must be understood in all languages,' he said. He urged journalists to adhere to CMCF's guidelines when reporting on suicides, particularly by protecting victims' identities and families' privacy to avoid 'copycat' incidents. 'Reporting about suicide is most sensitive and most harrowing for any journalist (covering the tragedy). We should not divulge the location or the personality in such tragedies,' he said. He said the CMCF guidelines also covered the broader digital ecosystem, providing practical advice on how to safely share lived experiences, avoid trauma-triggering content, and guide people towards available support services. 'This comprehensive approach reflects an understanding that every individual plays a role in creating a safer and more empathetic content environment,' he said. He said Malaysia's leadership in this initiative had also gained international recognition, with the guidelines selected for presentation at the International Association for Suicide Prevention. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available.
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