Malaysia is considering the implementation of a regulatory framework to address the challenges posed by the evolving landscape of online media. The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) recently held a discussion with online platform owners Meta and Google to discuss these challenges and explore potential solutions.
The challenges identified by the MCMC include the dissemination of online harm related to child sexual abuse material, online gambling, content inciting race, royalty, and religious discontent, scams and phishing, the sale and promotion of illegal drugs, impersonation, the spread of disinformation and fake news.
The MCMC is also planning a separate meeting with social media platform TikTok to discuss these issues. The commission is considering adopting regulatory frameworks similar to those implemented in Australia and Canada. These frameworks require social media platforms to compensate news outlets for their content.
The passing of the Mandatory News Media Bargaining Code in Australia has already led to voluntary compensation agreements between both Google and Meta and news outlets. In Canada, Bill C-11 has focused on regulating streaming platforms to support locally produced content.
By engaging with major online platforms like Meta (formerly known as Facebook) and Google, the Malaysian government aims to establish a licensing and regulatory framework. This will help address the challenges faced by the digital market, including the imbalance in income for traditional advertising expenditure between digital platforms and local media.
The MCMC and the Ministry of Communications and Digital (KKD) recognize the importance of artificial intelligence (AI) and plan to implement rules for its fair and responsible use. This includes encouraging fair competition, strengthening intellectual property rights, protecting consumers from online harms, and ensuring privacy.
As Malaysia moves forward in the digital age, the government is committed to creating an environment where digital platforms operate fairly, responsibly, and in the best interest of the public. The discussions with online platforms aim to foster cooperation and find solutions that benefit all stakeholders.
It remains to be seen how the regulatory framework will take shape and what specific measures will be implemented. However, the engagement with major online platforms demonstrates Malaysia’s commitment to ensuring fair compensation for news content creators and addressing the challenges posed by online media.
