Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
TechRadar
TechRadar
Luke Hughes

Malaysia reveals plans for an internet "kill switch"

Internet system attack concept with the shield symbol getting destroyed to symbolize threat of internet attack.

Malaysia is legislating for an ‘internet kill switch’, according to Azalina Othman Said, the country’s Law and Institutional Reform minister.

Though the details Said gave in a written statement posted to Twitter (written in Malay and recounted via The Register) are thin on the ground, luddites and anarchists dreaming of destruction are set to be disappointed, with the minister strongly implying that it's a move to apply pressure on social media companies to do more about online abuse committed and illegal material disseminated across their platforms.

The minister suggests in her statement that this, and the government’s desire to explicitly define cyberbullying (implying that it may be made a crime in the country) is nothing new, and “in line with legislative initiatives enforced in various other countries.”

Sweeping social media reform in Malaysia

Malaysia currently has a laser focus on the issue of the perceived unaccountability of social media platforms. 

Recently, Malaysia’s Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) revealed a “new regulatory framework” that will require “all social media services and Internet messaging services with at least eight million users” to obtain a licence to operate in the country.

It added failure to comply with the move, designed to “create a safer online ecosystem and a better user experience, especially for children and families”, would result in “appropriate legal action”, which it failed to define but is almost certainly referring to the notion of a “kill switch”.

The framework will come into effect on August 1 2024, while enforcement will begin on January 1 2025. 

More from TechRadar Pro

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.