KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), in collaboration with platform providers such as Meta, Telegram, and TikTok, has addressed 2,444 websites and content linked to prostitution since January 2022.
Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said these efforts involved blocking 279 websites and removing 2,165 pieces of prostitution-related content across various social media platforms.
The highest content removal rate was recorded on Facebook at 46.84 percent, followed by TikTok (30.44 percent) and Telegram (21.20 percent), he said.
"However, the final decision to remove content rests with the service providers, who assess such requests based on their established community standards," he said during the question and answer session in the Dewan Negara yesterday.
Fahmi was responding to a question from Senator Datuk Bobbey Suan regarding the government's efforts to curb the 'darkside' culture and steps to address account operators promoting prostitution on platforms such as X and Telegram.
He said enforcement under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (Act 588) by MCMC complements existing laws, such as Sections 372A, 372B, and 373 of the Penal Code (Act 574), which fall under police jurisdiction to address online prostitution or 'darkside' activities.
"MCMC provides technical assistance, including digital forensic analysis and information to expedite investigations and assist authorities in gathering necessary evidence," Fahmi said, while adding that there are also government initiatives to ensure social media platforms take more proactive measures in combating cybercrime trends, including prostitution.
"This is being addressed through new licensing requirements for service providers, which will take effect in January next year," he said.
When asked about plans to impose age restrictions on social media users, Fahmi said the government would ensure platform providers implement such measures as part of the upcoming licensing framework.
"Most platforms already enforce minimum age requirements, typically set at 13 years, except for WhatsApp. Under the licensing process, we will ensure that platforms adopt measures to verify user ages," he said.
Fahmi also stressed the importance of public awareness, urging parents not to normalise social media use among children under the age of 13.-- BERNAMA