KUALA LUMPUR – A total of 56,304 pieces of harmful and fake online content were taken down by service providers between Jan 1, 2023, and Oct 15 this year, accounting for 86 per cent of the 65,680 requests submitted.
Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching said the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) investigated 546 cases involving fake content under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (Act 588) during the same period.
She said regulatory and enforcement action was carried out in accordance with Act 588 and the Online Safety Act 2025 (Act 866).
“A total of 19 cases were brought to court, of which 12 have received verdicts, resulting in total fines of RM75,500.
“Another 34 cases were issued compounds amounting to RM1.72 million, 74 cases received warning letters and 29 cases are still under investigation, while 390 cases were classified as requiring no further action,” she said during Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat on Wednesday.
Teo said MCMC first assessed complaints received from government agencies, enforcement authorities or the public before submitting requests to platform providers if the content was suspected of violating the law.
However, platform providers also conducted their own assessments based on the law and their respective community guidelines.
“Therefore, not all requests submitted by MCMC will result in the content being taken down,” she said.
Meanwhile, responding to a supplementary question from Suhaizan Kayat (Pakatan Harapan-Pulai) on measures to impose stricter penalties for spreading fake news, Teo said the government needed the support of all MPs to enable stronger legal action.
Citing a case involving an edited image of a Buletin TV3 broadcast that contained false information about RON95 petrol and diesel prices, she said the offender had been fined by the court.
“I believe that to ensure the public is not misled by fake news, we must all support the government and the Attorney-General's Chambers in taking stronger legal action,” she said.