KUALA LUMPUR, July 14 — Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo has proposed the introduction of a new law placing responsibility for social media misuse, including cyberbullying, on platform owners.
He said that he, together with Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, raised the issue of cyberbullying in Friday’s Cabinet meeting.
This follows the recent death of TikTok influencer A. Rajeswari, who was known as Esha.
“I suggested that a new law be considered to place the responsibility on platform owners to ensure misuse does not occur, and if it does, immediate action can be taken to prevent such a situation from happening.
“We need to send a clear signal that we are serious in looking for a solution for this problem and every related party has a vital role to play for that purpose,” he said in a statement today, adding that existing laws, especially the Communications and Multimedia Act, Penal Code and Computer Crimes Act are enforceable.
“We need to ensure that platforms are safe in terms of cybersecurity, personal data protection and most importantly cannot be misused by anyone.
“Cyberbullying cases must be taken seriously and tackled immediately. We need to ensure that laws are drafted to avoid misuse and if it occurs, swift action is taken,” he said.
Gobind stressed that his ministry supported the Fahmi’s effort to strengthen existing laws or introduce new legislations in the future.
Fahmi had announced during the post-Cabinet press conference on Friday that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had asked the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission and the police to take stern action against cyberbullying cases.
The Unity Government spokesman said the prime minister expressed his disappointment about the cyberbullying incident that led to the Esha’s death.
— Bernama
