Social media platforms given time to automate scam and gambling content removal, says Fahmi
Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil says operators are willing to comply with two codes under the Online Safety Act 2025 but need time to align internal systems.
Social media platform operators have expressed their readiness to comply with the child protection and risk mitigation codes under the Online Safety Act 2025 (Onsa), but need time to align their internal mechanisms to automate the removal of flagged content, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said.
"These two codes will ensure platforms comply with online safety regulations, including those covering scam and online gambling content," he was quoted by Bernama as saying.
"The platforms have indicated their willingness to comply, but require some time to align their internal mechanisms to automate the removal of identified content," he added.
Takedown requests already past last year's total
Fahmi, who is also the government spokesman, said the number of takedown requests made by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) — particularly for online gambling and scam-related content — had already exceeded last year's total.
The surge, he said, had strained MCMC's resources and manpower, with each request taking about 30 minutes to process.
"Each piece of content requires about 30 minutes of work by MCMC personnel. The time needed to process so many requests has inevitably resulted in MCMC officers spending considerable time filing the required documentation," he said.
Automating removals is expected to reduce the reliance on manual takedown requests, freeing MCMC officers from repetitive documentation work.
The Online Safety Act 2025 serves as the government's main framework for regulating harmful content on digital platforms, with the child protection code and the risk mitigation code among its key implementing instruments.
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