CYBERJAYA: The Communications Ministry will take action against several social media platforms in the wake of cyberbullying cases, says its minister Fahmi Fadzil.
Fahmi said he believes that these platforms have not been very serious in addressing the issues faced by Malaysians.
“I don’t think they particularly care ... so that’s enough. We will send a very loud and clear message to these platforms. Stay tuned,” Fahmi told reporters after attending the launch of the National Month and Fly the Jalur Gemilang 2024 campaign here yesterday, Bernama reported.
Fahmi said the decision to take action was made after discussions with the Digital Ministry, Home Ministry, as well as the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reforms).
He said they were collaborating to examine three to four specific issues related to the matter, including existing laws, the formulation of new laws and their implementation.
“When we look at today’s technology, whether it is artificial intelligence or various social media platforms, there may be technical aspects where we need to assist investigating parties and subsequently in prosecution.
“This includes framing the charges. For example, in the case of the late Rajeswary Appahu or Esha,” he said, adding that she died following cyberbullying she received in a TikTok live session.
Fahmi said he had seen TikTok live sessions and felt there were some rather excessive comments that seemed to encourage other viewers to lose their decorum and reasoning ability.
“This is what is referred to as not only the perpetrators, but also the purveyors ... not just those who commit, but also those who enable condemnation and invite others to insult,” he said.
On another matter, Fahmi said as a result of the dialogue session with about 2,000 Komuniti Madani members yesterday, he would present several proposals to the Finance Ministry including on the implementation of Budi Madani.
“Some have expressed their need for assistance, especially in Felda (settlements) or rural areas, regarding vehicles with expired road tax.
“They need a little help. Others shared various perspectives, including allocations under Budi Madani. We have taken note of these and will extend these proposals to the Finance Ministry,” he added.
Budi Madani is a government initiative aimed at ensuring that subsidy allocations are channelled only to eligible groups.
