Malaysia is looking to strengthen its online safety framework by exploring the regulatory model used by Australia, amid growing concerns over cyberthreats and digital platform abuse in the region. This was shared by Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil during the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity Ministerial Meeting 2025 (APT-MM2025) held in Tokyo, Japan.
Fahmi said that Malaysia is particularly interested in the role of Australia’s eSafety Commissioner and how it oversees online safety issues across platforms. He noted that Malaysian agencies, including the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), plan to engage with their Australian counterparts to study the feasibility of adapting similar measures domestically. This includes mechanisms to better handle cyberbullying, scams, and harmful content online.
The interest comes amid Malaysia’s increasing efforts to address cybercrime, including scams and online gambling, which have become more prominent as the country’s digital economy expands. Fahmi stressed that as the digital space becomes more central to daily life, protecting users must go hand-in-hand with connectivity and innovation. He also called for annual meetings among APT member states’ senior officers to facilitate experience sharing and cooperation on such issues.
While online safety was a central focus, Fahmi also used the meeting to share Malaysia’s shift from a single wholesale 5G network model to a dual-network model. “(This) meeting can certainly provide an opportunity for us to bring and show other countries what we have achieved through the programmes and ideas we have,” he said.
(Source: Bernama)
