Social media platform licensing laws open up space for abuse of power
KUALA LUMPUR: The decision to enforce the license of social media and internet messaging services that have at least eight million registered users in this country is seen as opening up space for abuse of power.
The Clean and Adil Elections Coalition (BERSIH) explained in a statement that the implementation has the potential to deny justice to social media service providers and internet messaging service providers and will ultimately silence freedom of expression.
“Through this licensing, its enforcement will also include procedural provisions and’kill ”switch’enforcement that will place responsibility on social media service providers and internet messaging service providers.
“In fact, existing acts such as the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984, particularly Section 8A, and the Communications and Multimedia Act, particularly Sections 211 and 233, are political weapons,” explained the statement.
Accordingly, BERSIH believes that, if added to the new legislation for the licensing of social media platforms, it has great potential to be misused as a legal framework to restrict freedom of expression.
In the meantime, his party also supports the Center for Independent Journalism’s (CIJ) and Article 19’s recommendations, which suggest that the government first stop the decision to hold a social media platform license, which is seen as hasty.
In addition, BERSIH said the argument brought by the government to justify the enforcement of the license is to suppress online fraud and cyberbullying, as well as the spread of child sexual abuse material and sexual harassment and intimidation.
On Saturday, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) said that all social media and internet messaging services that have at least eight million registered users in Malaysia need to apply for an Application Service Provision Class License under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (Act 588).
MCMC informed us that the move will come into force on January 1, next year, after the new regulatory framework is introduced on August 1.
