The government, through the Ministry of Digital Communications and also the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, is reported to be studying measures to increase the punishment under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act, better known as the Heartbreak Act.
During the Dewan Rakyat Conference this morning, Deputy Minister of Communications and Digital Teo Nie Ching answered questions from MP Alor Setar and Paya Besar regarding the issue of fake social media accounts that spread slander and fake news, and also whether the government will make any amendments to Section 233.
Answering a question from Alor Setar MP, Teo Nie Ching said that the government through SKMM is seen to have identified a number of these fake accounts, and sent the details of these accounts to the manager of this platform for further action such as deleting posts or accounts directly.
In response to MP Paya Besar's question, the deputy minister replied that the KKD and the SKMM are considering possibly increasing the punishment under Section 233, and also to work together with other ministries by introducing awareness campaigns to ensure that Malaysians do not overstepping the bounds of freedom of expression on social media platforms.
They are also seen to be looking for a way to work with the managers of these social media platforms to regulate activities even more strictly to curb the spread of fake news and also conversations that can cause racial issues among Malaysians who are multi-racial.