I was quoted by The Rakyat Post on laws and regulations relating to social media in Malaysia.
The sharing of information taken from another individual, without their awareness or knowledge, containing elements of incitement and slander are offences punishable by law, said legal expert Foong Cheng Leong.
He said Malaysia currently had laws on communication offences involving social media, but the government faced difficulties in detecting all the cases that occurred.
“The sharing or dissemination of any information that is libelous or slanderous are clear offences under the law. Doing these things intentionally or unintentionally is completely irrelevant in cases that involved social media.
“Malaysia has the legislation (needed), but it is difficult for the government to control the activities in social media as there is no party monitoring all the data that goes in and out,” he told The Rakyat Post when contacted recently.
He added that all social media users should take their own precautions to avoid becoming victims, apart from depending on the law, because it was impossible for authorities to track every movement in the social media.
“Users must be very careful in using these social media platforms as it is becoming more and more difficult for authorities to track down misconduct by offenders.
“However, the function of social media cannot be reduced as it should be viewed as a healthy approach. If we withdraw the ‘comment’ box on Facebook, then there will not be any healthy discussion,” he said.
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