A STUDY is being carried out to pave the way for the introduction of the Online Safety Act, says Teo Nie Ching.

       The deputy Communications Minister told Dewan Rakyat that the Cabinet had directed the ministry and Legal Affairs Division under the Prime Minister’s Department to carry out a study to enact the Act.

       “There is a possibility the Bill may be brought to Parliament in the next sitting, she said in reply to a supplementary question from Datuk Mumtaz Md Nawi (PN-Tumpat) during Question Time.

       Mumtaz had asked the ministry whether it had conducted a study and was prepared to enact online safety legislation similar to the one in Australia.

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       Australia’s Online Safety Act 2021 expands protection against online harm to keep pace with abusive behaviour and toxic content, she noted.

       Mumtaz also wanted to know whether the ministry would accept first-information reports made by internet influencers should breaches of laws be found on social media.

       To this, Teo said that the relevant enforcement authorities accepted first-information reports. This is what is being done by the police or any other relevant bodies.

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       “For the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), when the agency finds content that goes against the law, they will immediately take action without having to wait for a report to be lodged.

       “The existing enforcement bodies have the power to do so,” she explained.