Back in October, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) published a draft of the Code of Conduct (Best Practice) for Internet Messaging and Social Media Service Providers with the intention of getting feedback from the public. More recently, the commission has published an updated report, following the end of the public consultation on 5 November.
Bernama cites a statement by the MCMC as stating that “while the final version of the Code of Conduct (Best Practice) will be published in the near future, the public consultation report now available provides an overview of the feedback received”. Prior reports point to 1 January 2025 being the date the new framework will be enforced. That being said, the document itself ends with a note that “this Code of Conduct may be revised by the Commission from time to time”.
In case you missed it, the Code of Conduct outlines the type of content that licensed service providers will be responsible for. In other words, license holders will have to be responsible for addressing harmful content on their platform. This means restricting, suspending or terminating accounts that have been found posting said harmful content, as well as responding to requests by law enforcement authorities in doing so.
As part of this, licensed platforms will also have to submit half-yearly reports to the MCMC as well as publish an annual report on its online safety practices. Platforms will also have to maintain records of harmful content removals and the reasons for their removal. You can read the updated report by hitting the link below.
