PUTRAJAYA – Countering fake news has been a big challenge for the Communications and Multimedia Ministry (KKMM) in the past one year, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic reared its ugly head, said Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah.
He said every day the KKMM Quick Response Team received all sorts of false reports, especially those related to COVID-19, that were spread on social media and the WhatsApp application.
Although action can be taken against the individuals involved, public cooperation is also needed to counter fake news and prevent such reports from being disseminated and creating panic in the community, he said.
“Yes, we do charge people through the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and police, but how I wish we can do more,” he told a press conference on the One-Year Malaysia Prihatin achievements of the mininstry.
According to MCMC, the ministry’s Quick Response Team has so far issued 428 public denials and clarifications on fake news.
In a statement, MCMC said up till March 4, the Royal Malaysia Police has opened 283 investigation papers on COVID-19 fake news.
The sharing of fake news is an offence under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, which provides for a maximum fine of RM50,000 or imprisonment not exceeding one year or both and a further fine of RM1,000 for each day the offence is continued after conviction.
Cabinet paper
Commenting on a related matter, Saifuddin said the ministry is also currently preparing a Cabinet paper on anti-cyberbullying laws.
He said while Malaysia has some legislation on cybersecurity, it does not have any specific law to deal with cyberbullying.
This was unlike neighbouring countries like Singapore and the Philippines, which have implemented anti-cyberbullying laws, he added.
“We better be prepared (with laws) because things can actually get worse (on cyberbullying),” he said in a press conference on the One-Year Malaysia Prihatin achievements of the ministry under the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government.
Last year, a teenage girl from Penang leapt to her death from a condominium after her ‘boyfriend’ threatened to upload her private photos on the social media platform.
Saifuddin said about 85 per cent of respondents in a survey conducted by the Multimedia University (MMU) said a specific law should be formulated to tackle cyberbullying.
“Even the definition of offences under cyberbully has yet to be formulated, so we have to come out with a draft,” he said, adding that many people did not know where they should go to report cases of cyberbullying.
Proposed amendments
On proposed amendments to the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia Act 1981 (Act 244), Saifuddin said the process has started, with the aim of bringing the Act in line with current needs.
“Basically, it’s not about controlling; it is about facilitation,” he said, adding that KKMM was also mulling to formulate the Music Corporation Act to facilitate and protect the music industry.
Saifuddin had earlier been reported as saying that the proposed amendments to Act 244 would involve several major matters regarding the position of social media users who produce materials shared on the platform, the enhancement of existing regulations and giving new definitions to certain provisions in the Act.
He also said the Act needed to be amended because when it was passed in Parliament in 1981 there were no social media tools like Tik Tok and YouTube.
On plans to strengthen the local creative industry, Saifuddin said KKMM was working with the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) to gather specific data on art practitioners, including film directors, composers, musicians and lyric writers.
He said DOSM was conducting a census on art practitioners with the cooperation of relevant agenices like the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry, National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas), Cultural Economy Development Agency (CENDANA) and Radio Televisyen Malaysia.
The creative sector contributed RM29.4 billion to the Gross Domestic Product in 2019 and provided job opportunities to 859,900 individuals.
The RM89.2 million Malaysian Creative Industry Stimulus Package (PRISMA) which was launched recently would also help art practitioners to produce works and revive the creative industry, which was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, he added.
Saifuddin said PRISMA would benefit more than 9,000 art practitioners, apart from creating more than 40,000 job opportunities.
He hoped that the creative industry would become one of the key growth sectors under the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) for 2021-2025.
