Malaysia government requests for content removal witness a surge in 2023, as reported by Meta Platforms and TikTok.

According to data released by Meta, the parent company of Facebook, and TikTok from China, there has been a significant increase in the number of social media posts and accounts restricted in Malaysia during the first half of 2023. This surge in restrictions is in response to a rise in government demands to remove content.

The administration of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who came to power in November 2022 on a reformist platform, has been accused of reneging on promises to protect free speech amid increased surveillance of online content in recent months.

The government has denied accusations of cracking down on dissent online, saying it wanted to curb inflammatory messages about race, religion and royalty.

Between January and June this year, Meta restricted about 3,100 pages and posts on its Facebook and Instagram platforms from being seen by users in Malaysia because they allegedly violated local laws, according to data from the company’s biannual transparency report. in this month.

The figure was six times higher than the previous half-year and the highest since the company began reporting content restrictions in Malaysia in 2017.

The Malaysian Communications Authority said in a statement late Friday that its efforts to request the removal of content from social media platforms was aimed at protecting users from “significant increases in online harm, rather than suppressing diverse views.”

Between July 2022 and June 2023, Meta said it restricted access to more than 3,500 sites in response to reports from the Malaysian Communications Authority and other government agencies.

The content included criticism of the government and messages that allegedly violated illegal gambling, hate speech, racially or religiously divisive content, bullying and financial scams, Meta’s report said.

Short video platform TikTok said in a similar report last month that it had received 340 requests from the Malaysian government to remove or limit content between January and June 2023, affecting 890 posts and accounts.

TikTok removed or restricted 815 of those that violated local laws or the platform’s community guidelines — the highest number in the six months since it began reporting requests from Malaysia in 2019, the data showed. That was three times the amount TikTok removed in the second half of 2022.

Malaysia fielded more requests to restrict TikTok content than any other Southeast Asian government, the data showed. Meta did not publish the total number of content restriction requests it received from the authorities.

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission said on Friday that its statistics showed a 24-fold increase in harmful content on social media platforms, rising to 25,642 in 2023 from 1,019 the previous year, including scams, illegal sales, gambling, fake news and hate speech. .

The Commission did not provide a breakdown of the allegedly harmful content found on each platform.

Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said this week that the communications regulator often responds to complaints from ordinary users, denying claims that he had asked the agency to remove posts critical of him on social media.

Race and religion are sensitive issues in Malaysia, which is predominantly Muslim but has significant ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities. It also has laws that prohibit seditious remarks or insults against its monarchy.

Fahmi said in October that TikTok had not done enough to curb defamatory or misleading content on its platform, accusing it of not complying with some local laws. TikTok announced that it is taking proactive steps to address the issues raised.

The government also threatened to take legal action against Meta for failing to act against “unwanted” content, but dropped the plan after a meeting with the company.

Freedom of speech group Article 19 condemned the removal of posts critical of the government and expressed concern about its increased requests to restrict content, warning that it could stifle legitimate freedom of speech and expression.

“It is never permissible to ban expression simply because it provides a critical view on social issues, public figures or government institutions,” said Malaysia Program Director Nalini Elumalai.