KUALA LUMPUR: Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo said today the call for news portals to moderate comments is not meant to curtail civil liberties.
He said it was rather to maintain decorum and avoid expression which promotes inflammatory remarks which may impact on the security of the nation.
“Freedom of expression is not meant to promote lewd, vulgar or sexist comments. Neither should we condone physical threats or threats of bodily harm on social media.
“Such posts or comments should be avoided and this can be achieved through self-regulation and help from the portals themselves,” he said in a statement.
Gobind said asking portals to moderate the content in their comment sections is not unreasonable.
He said that in essence, it reinforces the fact that the government upholds the right to free speech but reiterates at the same time the need for responsibility to be attached to it.
“I am of the view that there must be freedom for everyone to discuss topics openly and frankly on social media. This is important and we need to retain it.
“At the same time, we want to make sure that the essence of the discussion is not lost and that social media is not abused to the extent that it violates laws, causes social unrest or undermines national security, he said.
Gobind said the matter will be discussed further with the relevant stakeholders.
“I intend to sit with all concerned, including my friends in the media, to find a way in which we can discuss this, develop a framework and agree to some mechanism by which we can deal with the complaints I have received,” he said, adding that he had received many complaints concerning the use of social media, particularly in relation to comments on portals, including news portals.
Gobind said he will also seek views and recommendations from the soon-to-be-formed media council on this matter and also how to better promote responsible use of social media while providing the space for freedom of expression in the country.
He also reiterated the call for all to be cautious over what they post on social media. – Bernama
