Malaysia sees 90% compliance with online content takedown requests

LocalTechnology
2 Mar 2026 • 3:00 PM MYT
The Sun Daily
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Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching reveals high compliance rates for online content removal under new and existing laws in the first two months of 2025.

KUALA LUMPUR: Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching reported a 90% compliance rate with online content removal requests in the first two months of this year.

She told the Dewan Rakyat that 103,986 of the 115,161 total requests were executed under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.

Under the new Online Safety Act 2025, 31 of 32 cases were removed, covering various offences.

“Among the content fully taken down were four cases of financial fraud, six involving obscene harassment and three related to immoral content,” she said.

Teo added that ten of 11 cases involving threatening or insulting harassment were also removed.

Eight instances of hate speech deemed disruptive to public order were taken down as well.

She was responding to a supplementary question from Suhaizan Kaiat on compliance statistics following two months of the ONSA deeming provision.

Teo described the compliance rate among service providers as encouraging while the new licensing framework is in its early stages.

“It is too early to determine a downward trend in 3R (religion, race and royalty) content and hate speech,” she stated.

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission will continue to monitor the situation.

In reply to a question on cross-border jurisdiction, Teo said social media companies must appoint a local representative in Malaysia.

This is a condition of licensing under the deeming provision.

Five licence holders have complied so far, namely Meta Services, X Corp, Google, Telegram Messenger and TikTok.

“The appointment of local representatives enables the Malaysian government to initiate criminal or civil proceedings,” she added.

Legal documents can be served through these designated representatives.