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THE country has recorded a 90 percent compliance rate for online content removal requests during the first two months of 2026.
This demonstrates early effectiveness of the country’s strengthened digital oversight framework, Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching said in the Dewan Rakyat.
Of 115,161 requests received, 103,986 were executed under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, while 31 of 32 cases processed under the newly enforced Online Safety Act 2025 (ONSA) were successfully taken down.
“Among the content fully taken down were four cases of financial fraud, six involving obscene harassment and three related to immoral content. Cases involving threatening, insulting or harassment were also removed, along with instances of hate speech deemed disruptive to public order,” Teo stated during Question Time.
Responding to supplementary questions from Suhaizan Kaiat, she acknowledged that while ONSA remains in its early implementation phase, service providers’ compliance has been encouraging.
“It is too early to determine a downward trend in 3R (religion, race and royalty) content and hate speech. The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission will continue to monitor the situation,” Teo added.
Regarding the regulation of foreign platforms, she explained that as part of licensing requirements, social media companies must appoint local representatives in Malaysia to facilitate legal accountability.
“Five licence holders have complied so far, namely Meta Services, which operates Facebook and Instagram; X Corp; Google; Telegram Messenger; and TikTok.
“The appointment of local representatives enables the Malaysian government to initiate criminal or civil proceedings by serving legal documents through the designated representatives,” she said.
Observers note that the figures highlight the initial success of Malaysia’s dual regulatory approach, blending traditional communications law enforcement with targeted provisions under ONSA. - March 2, 2026
