SEREMBAN: Violence across several towns and cities in the United Kingdom sparked by disinformation on social media highlights the importance of licensing platforms, says Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan (pic).
The Foreign Minister said the riots, the United Kingdom's worst in 13 years, erupted after far-right social media accounts pushed false reports that the murders of three young girls in the northern seaside town of Southport were committed by a Muslim migrant from the Middle East.
"That is how dangerous social media can be if there is disinformation and when wrongly used.
"Such false information can spread quickly and can lead to worse things such as violence and rioting," he said when met at Wisma Negri.
Reports in the United Kingdom said a storm of anti-Muslim disinformation on social media had fueled Islamophobic and far-right violence in the aftermath of the fatal stabbing attack of the three young victims at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on July 29.
The suspect has since been identified as 17-year-old Axel Muganwa Rudakubana born in Cardiff, Wales, and lived in a village near Southport.
He faces 10 counts of attempted murder after eight other children and two adults were seriously injured in the attack.
"The far-right demonstrators are targeting non-whites as well as Islamic institutions and this is highly regretted.
"Due to this, the court had to release the name of the suspect and it has since been established that he is neither a Muslim nor from the Middle East," said Mohamad.
Far-right demonstrators have also been targeting asylum seekers and ethnic minority communities across the country since the murders.
Mohamad, who is also Umno deputy president, said by licensing social media platforms, it would be the responsibility of the owners to bring down false information or postings.
"If they fail to do so, action can be taken against them," he said.
The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) recently announced that all social media and internet messaging services with at least eight million registered users in the country must apply for a Class A Application Service License under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.
The service providers will have until Dec 31 to register before implementation is enforced on Jan 1, 2025.
Under the Act, if found guilty, the service provider can be fined not more than RM500,000 or five years’ jail or both. They may also be fined RM1,000 for each day or part of a day, as long as the offence continues,
Separately, Mohamad said Wisma Putra has also issued an advisory to Malaysians in the United Kingdom to remain vigilant as some of these demonstrations have turned violent.
He said Malaysians residing in or traveling to the United Kingdom have also been advised to stay away from areas involved in protests.
"If you have no pressing matters, do not leave your home. Also, Malaysians need to register with our high commission in London so we can monitor their wellbeing," he added.
