Content moderation is a messy affair for both international tech giants as well as local organisations. So it’s always nice to see the two joining hands to work towards the common goal of a safer digital environment. An example of this is one between Google and the Communications and Multimedia Content Forum of Malaysia (CMCF), The former has announced that the latter is now part of its Priority Flagger program.
For context, the Google Priority Flagger program is, as the company puts it, “a way tor participating local fovernment agencies and NGOs to flag potentially harmful or problematic content on certain Google products and services”. This includes YouTube, a subsidiary that the internet search giant specifically mentions.
This means that the CMCF, which operates under MCMC’s purview, will help the internet search giant identify policy-violating content across Google and YouTube while also taking into consideration local cultural context. It will also gain a “dedicated intake channel” to inform the company of said potential violations in need or review.
Last month, comms minister Fahmi Fadzil took shots at social media giants Meta and X for not doing enough to tackle harmful online content. At the time, the minister claims to have asked the CMCF to engage with other “major players” but none have come forward to participate. It looks like that has changed slightly.
