THE Government has removed 828,438 items of online gambling content and blocked 7,411 gambling websites since 2022, while also taking down more than 14,700 items of pornographic and child sexual abuse material, the Communications Ministry said.
Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil said the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) recorded the gambling-related removals between Jan 1, 2022 and Sept 15, 2026, working with police and service providers to curb illegal online activities.
Police are responsible for investigating gambling offences, while MCMC provides technical assistance, including requests to block websites and remove content.
Enforcement was strengthened through joint operations, including Ops JOL and Ops Soga XI in 2026, which targeted online gambling and betting linked to football matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Separately, MCMC recorded the removal of 14,706 items of pornographic content and child sexual abuse material between Jan 1, 2022 and Sept 30, 2026. Another 5,170 pornographic websites were blocked by service providers following requests from the commission.
In his winding-up speech on the 2027 Supply Bill debate in the Dewan Rakyat, Fahmi said the government was strengthening online safeguards through legislation, platform regulation, enforcement and public education.
The Online Safety Act 2025 came into force on Jan 1, 2026, while the Risk Mitigation Code took effect on June 1. The code requires licensed service providers to reduce risks associated with their services, including those involving artificial intelligence-generated or manipulated content such as deepfakes.
MCMC also recorded 5,341 complaints involving online bullying and harassment between Jan 1, 2023 and Oct 15, 2026.
The government has allocated RM58.7 million under Budget 2027 for the Safe Internet Campaign, which includes awareness programmes for parents, guardians, teachers and communities, as well as efforts to encourage the use of parental controls.
A case involving the circulation of fake nude images of female students in Seremban remains under police investigation, with MCMC working alongside police and Meta to assist the investigation and consider further action.
The government is also preparing a nationwide mobile disaster alert system using Cell Broadcast System technology. The RM210 million system, funded under Budget 2026, is scheduled to be fully operational by the end of November, followed by a nationwide test in early December. It will send alerts to compatible mobile devices in affected areas.
Fahmi said MCMC was reviewing online marketplace regulations, while an e-Commerce Bill was expected to be tabled in Parliament in 2027.
Malaysia’s proposed Sovereign AI Cloud remains at the assessment and procurement stage. Its intended safeguards include keeping strategic government data under Malaysian control and prohibiting the use of public and government data to train AI models without written approval.
The ministry further clarified that the RM1 billion allocation for the PERSADA digital health initiative, funded through the Universal Service Provision Fund, was a single allocation rather than two separate commitments.
Physical implementation of its 21 projects had not begun, with the initiative covering 150 public hospitals, 2,488 public health clinics and 1,099 National Information Dissemination Centres. - October 29, 2026
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