GENEVA, July 10 — Big technology companies are not bigger than the law of any country, said Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil.
He said every sovereign nation has laws that must be adhered to, even by large tech firms.
“There are regulations that have been put in place for safety, security and big tech must listen to our laws,” he said during a panel session at the World Summit on the Information Society+20 High-Level Event here yesterday.
Fahmi said Malaysia had taken the lead in developing the Guidelines for Safe and Responsible Use of Social Media Platforms for Asean.
“These guidelines will help to serve, perhaps, as a beacon in the dark for Asean nations in order to travel safely to where we need to go, respecting our respective sovereignties, but also the principle of Asean centrality. In that way, we hope that we will have a bigger voice, a stronger voice,” he said.
Malaysia is leading the development of guidelines envisioned as a non-binding regional reference that provides common principles, best practices and practical recommendations for governments, platforms and users to address online safety and promote cyber wellness across Asean members.
It aims to foster collaboration between Asean information sectors and social media platforms to tackle harmful online content while protecting freedom of expression.
— Bernama
