SEPANG, July 1 — Industry forum Communications and Multimedia Content Forum (CMCF) said it has what it takes to regulate social media content as an industry forum after civil groups called for a Social Media Council (SMC) to self-regulate the platforms.

CMCF told Malay Mail it already has its own Content Code, and it is ready to lead as the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) aims to implement licensing among social media.

"I think what a lot of people might not be aware of is we are an independent self-regulatory organisation,” CMCF’s chief executive Mediha Mahmood said in a recent interview at its headquarters in Cyberjaya.

"We are registered as an industry forum under the Communications and Multimedia Act, and we’re designated as the industry forum which deals with content, and that’s how we’re seen and that’s how we registered under MCMC as well.”

CMCF said its Content Code, a regulatory framework formulated after a discussion with industry players, civil society organisations and the public, is already well-equipped with the rules needed for self-regulation of content within the media industry, including social media.

CMCF said it not only sets out the rules, but also enforces sanctions against participating members for breaching the content code, which also allows non-members to lodge a complaint against participating members.

"This content code has all the content standards and best practices which we took from looking at what international standards are, but at the same time, adapting it to local requirements, local cultures and sensitivities,” she explained.

Currently, no dedicated body in Malaysia regulates social media content, but CMCF divulged that it is happy to do so with additional resources due to the sheer volume of social media content.

"If this is something that they need, we’re able to do that and we will base it on the Content Code. We also need to understand the volume of social media content.

"Even if it’s not us, if any independent council does it, they have to understand number one, the volume of the social media content. So there has to be a threshold on what are the things that they should be reviewing, otherwise, it’s not sustainable,” she disclosed.

Mediha said that CMCF already fulfils what civil society groups recommended when they urged for a separate council to oversee social media. CMCF already:

• provides guidance on content moderation;
• provides oversight on how the community standards and guidelines of the respective platforms are interpreted and guided by international standards on freedom of expression and fundamental human rights;
• acts as a forum for stakeholders to discuss recommendations; and
• uses a voluntary-compliance approach for content moderation oversight where platforms and stakeholders sign up to a model that creates an obligation to voluntarily implement the recommendations and decisions.

Setting community standards or community guidelines also falls within CMCF’s purview, although it has never published one, Mediha said, CMCF is currently working on a guideline for ethical reporting and sharing of suicide-related content.

"Again, we wouldn’t do it on our own. We’d have a working group to look at it,” she said and added that the working group will consist of individuals who are experts and familiar with the area.

Further, CMCF said it also carries out outreach programs promoting digital literacy via webinars, public dialogue, and hosting programs with schools and higher learning institutions.

There are currently 50 ordinary members in CMCF and 10 associate members, according to its website.

Last week, a coalition of civil groups has today expressed concern over the Cabinet’s alleged proposal to license social media platforms, calling it a step towards authoritarianism.

In a joint letter addressed to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, they urged instead for the establishment of the SMC to provide a self-regulatory framework for content moderation.

In its proposal, the coalition said the SMC should include social media platforms, civil society, experts, and industry stakeholders to create an accountability model that can:

• provide guidance on content moderation
• establish a forum to review individual content moderation decisions by social media platforms
• provide oversight on how the community standards and guidelines of the respective platforms are interpreted and guided by international standards on freedom of expression and fundamental human rights
• act as a forum where stakeholders can discuss recommendations, and
• use a voluntary-compliance approach to the oversight of content moderation where social media platforms and all stakeholders sign up to a model that creates an obligation to voluntarily implement the SMC’s decisions and recommendations.

It was recently reported the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) had chaired meetings with representatives from the industry and the civil society to implement a licensing regime for social media and messaging platforms.

It was reportedly proposed in late 2023 before being approved by the Cabinet in April this year and was slated to be launched next month.

Platforms that would likely be covered include Meta’s Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, X (formerly Twitter), TikTok and Google.

In November last year, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil told the Parliament his ministry was considering making it mandatory for all social media platform service providers in the country to register with the MCMC so they understand and comply with aspects of the country’s legislation.

However in March this year, Fahmi said the government has no plans to create a specific act for the purpose of regulating social media platforms.

Malaysia was ranked 107th based on the 2024 World Press Freedom Index, a fall of 34 places. Fahmi had said then that the ranking "was not that bad”.