AFTER considerable resistance from Opposition MPs, the Online Safety Bill 2024 has passed following a bloc vote in the Dewan Rakyat.

A total of 77 MPs voted in favour of the Bill and 55 against, while 90 MPs were absent in the House during the vote.

Ahmad Fadhli Shaari (PN-Pasir Mas) called for a bloc vote, with 15 MPs supporting the motion.

He had earlier invoked Standing Order 54(2), calling for the Bill to be deferred to a Parliamentary Special Select Committee (PSSC) after Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reforms) Datuk Seri Azalina concluded her winding-up speech on the Bill.

Deputy Speaker Alice Lau, who was presiding over the proceedings, then read out the Speaker’s ruling that MPs would have to submit a written request a day in advance and indicate which select committee the Bill should be referred to.

The Bill, which seeks to regulate harmful content on the Internet, was tabled for the first reading on Tuesday.

In her winding-up speech, Azalina said the Bill only governs online platforms that will be licensed from Jan 1, 2025.

She said so far, eight companies and two service providers such as Meta Inc which operates Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp; ByteDance for TikTok; X (formerly Twitter); Telegram; Tencent for WeChat; and Google for YouTube will be involved in the regulation.

She added that with millions of users and a system that works at high speed, the law is needed to ensure online safety is maintained.

Citing the “Abang Bas” video as an example, where a bus driver uploaded videos of female students on his TikTok account, Azalina said the account had thousands of followers from this one video.

“In such a situation, who is going to take down the video that had the girl’s face?

“We can report to the MCMC (Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission) and the police will act, but it takes time,” she said, adding that content platforms are able to curate and evaluate content.

She said the law prioritises freedom of speech.

She told the MPs who opposed the Bill that it is designed to deal with the online platform companies, which are financially wealthy and are able to hire the best lawyers.

The Bill, she added, is meant to protect the public and children from online harm.

She also said the Communications and Multimedia (Amendments) Bill 2024 (CMA) is a “big brother Act” while the Online Safety Bill is the “little brother”.

Just like a car that has safety measures, these platforms must also come with the necessary safety measures as well, she added.

“As elected representatives, should we be calling the government cruel for tabling this Bill just because we want the product sellers to guarantee the safety of victims?” Azalina said.

On the issue of the lack of consultation and a rush to pass the Bill, she said there had been many engagements.

“NGOs will never be pleased no matter what we do. This is regarding companies that are registered outside of Malaysia that are making profits in the billions,” she said, adding that the government will implement laws that are beneficial to the people.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2024/12/12/online-safety-bill-passed-despite-resistance