More than 117,000 harmful social media posts, including cyberbullying, defamatory content and false information, were removed since 2022, says Fahmi Fadzil.
KUALA LUMPUR: More than 117,000 pieces of harmful social media content, including cyberbullying-related material, defamatory posts and false information, were removed between Jan 1, 2022 and Sept 15 this year following requests by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).
Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil said the removals comprised 60,632 pieces of cyberbullying-related content, 55,895 pieces of false information and 1,277 defamatory posts.
He said the government had introduced various preventive, regulatory and enforcement measures to curb the misuse of social media and create a safer online environment.
“From a legislative perspective, the government has strengthened the regulatory framework through amendments to the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 and the enforcement of the Online Safety Act 2025, which came into force on Jan 1, 2026,” he said in a written parliamentary reply.
He was responding to Muhammad Ismi Mat Taib (PN-Parit), who asked about preventive measures taken by the Communications Ministry to address harmful content on social media.
Fahmi said enforcement action involving defamation and cyberbullying offences also involved the police under the Penal Code, while MCMC took regulatory action against harmful online content within its jurisdiction.
“MCMC works closely with the police by providing technical assistance, sharing information, conducting digital forensic analysis, and coordinating content removal and website-blocking measures,” he said.
He added that the government had established a special committee comprising relevant ministries and agencies to coordinate preventive and enforcement efforts against cyberbullying.
On efforts to tackle misinformation, Fahmi said the Sebenarnya.my portal had published 1,211 articles between Jan 1, 2022 and Sept 15 this year.
“Meanwhile, the Artificial Intelligence Fact-check Assistant (AIFA), introduced on Jan 28 last year, had processed 242,706 messages as at Sept 15 to help the public verify information before sharing it,” he said.
Fahmi added that the Safe Internet Campaign, launched in January last year, had reached more than 2.8 million participants as at Sept 30 through programmes conducted at schools, higher education institutions and communities nationwide.
He said the campaign aimed to raise awareness and improve digital literacy, particularly on cyberbullying, misinformation and responsible social media use.
“The government will continue to strengthen cooperation with enforcement agencies, platform providers and the public to curb the misuse of social media while fostering a culture of ethical and responsible digital communication,” he said.
