Latest news with #onlinesafety
Free Malaysia Today
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Nearly 160,000 harmful online content removed this year, says Fahmi
Communications minister Fahmi Fadzil said 57% of the removed content was from Facebook, 28% TikTok, and 13% YouTube. PETALING JAYA : Social media platforms Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube have removed 159,518 pieces of harmful content related to online gambling, scams, cyberbullying, and fake news as of yesterday, says communications minister Fahmi Fadzil. These removals were part of 174,473 takedown requests made so far this year, Bernama reported him as saying. 'About 51% of the content involved online gambling, 25% were related to scams, 12% cyberbullying, and 9% fake news,' Fahmi said at the ministry's monthly assembly. He said 57% of the removed content was from Facebook, 28% TikTok, and 13% YouTube. These three platforms account for nearly 95% of the problematic content identified. Fahmi also raised concerns about the continued presence of child exploitation content online, especially on Facebook. 'This raises questions about whether current laws and cooperation are enough, or if we need a more strategic approach,' he said, citing last year's joint operation, known as Op Pedo, between the police and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC). On efforts to regulate social media, Fahmi noted that a new licensing framework introduced earlier this year aimed to make digital platforms safer, especially for children. He also highlighted the Online Safety Act (OnSA) 2024, passed in Parliament last December and set to be enforced soon. The Act gives MCMC the authority to act against platforms that fail to meet safety requirements. The OnSA has received royal assent from Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim and is currently being prepared for enforcement.
The Sun
04-06-2025
- Health
- The Sun
Staggering number of WhatsApps primary school pupil sent in single night revealed, sparking smartphone ban
A YEAR 6 pupil racked up 9,000 WhatsApps in a single night — prompting their primary school to ban smartphones. The extreme messaging on the child's handset stoked online safety fears, leading parents to agree to a ban. 1 The pupil, aged ten or 11, had followed school rules by handing in their phone at the start of the day but forgot to collect it. When their teacher at Blackhorse Primary School in Bristol retrieved it, they saw the thousands of missed messages. Executive headteacher Simon Botten said: 'The teacher picked up the phone, waking it, only to see a notification of 9,000 missed messages from the Year 6 pupil WhatsApp group overnight. 'Nine thousand messages in a 15-hour overnight period.' Staff at the school were so shocked by the level of activity they started a consultation process over whether smartphones should be banned. Supporters pointed to a rise in cyber-bullying, growing phone obsession and predators online. When police were brought in to give a talk on sexual predators and crooks lurking online, shocked parents swung behind the idea — with nearly nine in ten voting in favour of the ban. Children will still be allowed to bring in brick phones for texts and calls only. Mr Botten hopes it will help parents delay buying smartphones and reduce peer pressure in the playground. He added: 'Parents massively overestimate dangers in the real world and massively underestimate dangers in the digital one.'
News.com.au
07-05-2025
- News.com.au
Perth man allegedly ordered teen an Uber before sexual assault
A man has been accused of ordering an Uber to bring a teenager he met on social media to his home and sexually assaulting him. Police allege the 30-year-old man from Cloverdale, in Perth's southeast, started a conversation with a boy he did not know on a social media platform. The man allegedly lured the boy to his home, sending a rideshare vehicle to pick him up and bring him to his address last month, police said. The boy's family contacted police when they realised he had gone, with officers launching an investigation and even liaising with international counterparts in an attempt to track down the boy and his alleged abuser. Police allege they found the teenager with the man a short distance from the man's home. The 30-year man was charged with sexually assaulting the teenager and was remanded in custody to appear in the Perth Magistrates Court on July 31. The Serious Offender Enforcement Squad reminded people about the potential dangers of meeting people online. A police spokesman said online child sexual abuse could happen very quickly, even at home, without parents or carers knowing. 'Young people often don't understand the danger or that what happened to them amounts to a serious criminal offence,' a spokesman said.
