Government Intensifies Efforts To Ensure Safer Internet This Year – Fahmi

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 8 (Bernama) -- The government will step up efforts to ensure safer internet use this year amid rising cyber threats, including online scams, cyberbullying and child sexual exploitation.

Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said that after leading the ministry for nearly four years, the focus is now not just on expanding coverage, improving speed and lowering costs, but also on user safety.

“I do not want a legacy where the internet reaches even the most remote areas, yet becomes a highway for criminals to threaten public safety and peace,” he said at the 2026 Safer Internet Day launch organised by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) today.

He added that while the internet offers many benefits, from facilitating commerce to providing access to knowledge, it also creates opportunities for cybercriminals to exploit users.

“Latest trends show that criminals have largely shifted from physical crimes to cybercrime, using more organised and sustained methods,” said Fahmi.

He noted that rising cybercrime statistics from the Royal Malaysia Police prompted the ministry and MCMC to take stronger measures.

He cited high-profile cases, including a TikTok cyberbullying incident that led to a victim’s death and the exposure of pedophilia syndicates operating online, as prompting the government to amend and introduce laws to safeguard public safety without curbing freedom of speech.

Among the measures is the balanced amendment of Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, which increases fines for extreme and offensive content offences.

“We want to celebrate the right to free speech, but at the same time, it does not give anyone the right to slander, harass others, divide society, or threaten public safety. The amendments we have made are therefore very balanced.

“The maximum fine can now reach RM500,000 or imprisonment, while MCMC may also impose a compound fine of up to RM250,000 based on the advice of the Attorney General’s Chambers,” he said.

Fahmi added that this year’s Safe Internet Campaign will be expanded to the community level, involving neighbourhood committee members, mosques, suraus, and MADANI community groups to convey digital safety messages.

He emphasised that this community-based approach is crucial to ensure awareness of cyber threats reaches families and children nationwide.

“We will regularly share messages with schools and communities on how scammers operate today. With more information, faster action, stronger laws and greater awareness among parents, I hope that starting this year, we will see a safer internet for everyone,” he said.

-- BERNAMA