Malaysians, it seems have been holding back their grievances on what has been happening on social media especially matters relating to race, religion and royalty (3R). Within just 6 weeks of establishing the 3R platfrom, MCMC has received 21,296 complaints from the public. An astounding figure by any means!

The setting up of the platform was to give the agency information on the dissemination of sensitive contents so that it can take action quickly against those involved in order to safeguard national harmony. Social media and the internet has been used by individuals and organisations to disseminate vile information without concerning the sensitive feelings of the different ethic group that live in the country. They often hide behind anonymity using fake ID and handles leaving authorities with little to trace the source of the content or messages. However by working together with various different department the Communication Ministry will be enacting new laws that will require platform owners to assist in tracing these culprits and bring them to justice. Countries like Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia are known to be working on similar framework to keep check on quarters who seek to cause problems in the country.

Among the complaints received, MCMC observed that 80 per cent of the inputs received contained racist elements while the remaining 20 per cent were related to religions. While punitive initiatives can curb or reduce such social activities, educational programs that instills self regulation and restraint on what is ‘okay’ to post and what is not is also needed.

The agency through ‘Klik Dengan Bijak’(KDB) programme which was introduced in 2012, strives to cultivate a smart use of the Internet among Malaysians through three key areas of security, vigilance and responsibility that emphasise self-regulation. The programme has covered more than five million Malaysians along with sebenarnya.my portal which enables Malaysians to validate the information they received before sharing it with others.