Proposed ‘online safety’ law another censorship tool for Putrajaya, critics warn
The Online Safety Bill gives MCMC and the communications ministry far-reaching powers to block content under the pretext of protecting internet users from harm.
(MalaysiaNow) – Putrajaya’s proposed Online Safety Bill 2024 contains draconian provisions under the guise of protecting internet users from harm, several media representatives told MalaysiaNow after a recent briefing by the relevant ministry.
The bill’s main proponents, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil and the minister in charge of law reform in the Prime Minister’s Department, Azalina Othman Said, have touted it as a groundbreaking step in the fight against online bullying, fraud and other cybercrimes.
However, at a recent meeting organised by Azalina’s ministry with media industry stakeholders, some questions were raised about what they see as the government’s far-reaching powers in deciding what content to block.
One source said the final decision rests with the communications ministry and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), the internet authority behind a series of online censorship since Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim came to power in late 2022.
A list of 19 guidelines were presented at the meeting as guiding principles for the proposed law.
One of them deals with eight types of harmful content, categorised as “priority” and “non-priority”.
The eight types of harmful content are child sexual abuse, intimate content shared without permission, financial scams, bullying, violence or terrorism, self-harm, hate speech and the sale of dangerous drugs.
Even then, a source told MalaysiaNow, the communications ministry could decide to block other content.
“Any content that doesn’t sit well with the minister or MCMC could still be liable, even if it doesn’t fall within the eight categories,” the source added.
