THE Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has issued more than 1.2 million requests to social media platforms to remove harmful online content since 2022, highlighting the escalating challenge of safeguarding the digital ecosystem amid rapid technological change.
Closing the International Regulatory Conference (IRC) 2026, Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching said the two-day gathering of more than 500 participants from Malaysia, ASEAN and beyond had reinforced that trust, accountability and human wellbeing must underpin the next phase of digital transformation.
She said technology should no longer be measured solely by innovation or capability, but by whether it is safe, reliable, fair and worthy of public confidence.
“The first insight is clear: trust has become the defining challenge of the next digital era. People will not judge technology only by how advanced it is. They will judge it by whether it is safe, reliable, fair and worthy of their confidence,” she said.
Teo said discussions covering online safety, artificial intelligence, data governance, quantum technology and future digital services consistently highlighted the need for technology and accountability to advance together.
She said child protection must be embedded into digital platforms by design rather than addressed only after harm occurs, stressing that responsibility should be shared by governments, regulators, technology companies, schools, communities and families.
“The responsibility cannot fall on users and families alone; it must be shared across platforms, regulators, schools, communities and industry.”
Illustrating the scale of online harms, Teo said MCMC issued 1,216,088 requests to social media platforms between Jan 1, 2022 and July 15, 2026 to remove harmful content. Of those requests, 1,138,063 pieces of content were successfully taken down.
She said takedown requests rose by almost 57% from 309,322 in 2024 to 485,175 in 2025.
From Jan 1 to July 15 this year alone, MCMC had already issued 377,502 removal requests—nearly 78% of the total recorded for the whole of 2025—equivalent to an average of about 1,900 requests each day.
During the same period, social media platforms removed 350,332 pieces of harmful content.
Teo said discussions at the conference also reaffirmed that technological advancement must remain people-centred, with success measured by its ability to improve lives, protect individual autonomy and expand opportunities.
She called for stronger collaboration among governments, regulators, industry, academia and civil society, saying no single institution could address emerging digital risks in isolation.
As a member of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Council, Malaysia would continue promoting trusted, inclusive and resilient digital development while translating the conference's discussions into future policy, industry practices and regional cooperation.
“The future of technology will be shaped not only by what we invent, but by the choices we make about how innovation is governed and whom it serves,” she added. - July 22, 2026
