Stricter rules: The proposed changes will call for platform providers to tighten their guidelines for users looking to open new accounts.
POLICE would be able to force social media platforms to disclose data under the proposed amendments to be tabled in Parliament next month, the House has been told.
Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching said amendments to the Communica-tions and Multimedia Act 1998 (Act 588) will have a new section on enhancing the powers of the police.
“This would allow the police or authorised officers to compel those controlling the communication system to disclose data in the prescribed manner,” she said in reply to Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden (PN-Alor Setar), who wanted to know the steps taken by the government against fake accounts.
Admitting that it is a challenge to identify those behind such accounts, Teo said it is extremely important to make platform providers such as Meta (which runs Facebook), ByteDance (TikTok) and Google tighten their guidelines for users who want to open new accounts, such as making new users provide their phone numbers.
“If there is no such effort, then it is very difficult for us to detect those behind a fake account,” she said, adding that the proposed amendments were approved by the Cabinet last Friday.
Teo added that the Online Security Bill would also be tabled soon. The Bill is to curb criminal activities on social media and also counter fake news.
“There will also be provisions under other ministries such as the Home Ministry, for enforcing action against the spreading of fake news,” she said in reply to Riduan Rubin (Ind-Tenom).
From 2022 to Nov 15, 2024, a total of 21,156 fake news items was taken down by social media platform providers, she said, adding that of the 198 cases of false news investigated, five cases were brought to court, with sentences meted out.
On a separate matter, Teo said the police are more suited to respond to the issue of action against anyone who edited the video of the Prime Minister’s recent interview with CNN.
She was responding to Afnan, who had asked when the ministry would act against those who edited the video.
On Nov 15, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil claimed that the clip that had gone viral did not reflect the context of the Prime Minister’s position.
“If we examine the full context of the (Prime Minister’s) remarks in the interview, he clearly stated Malaysia’s firm stance on protecting the existence of Palestine,” Fahmi said.
