Call to Discuss Malaysia's Communication & Multimedia Act Amendments

According to the Malaysian Insider, the Malaysian Parliament (Dewan Rakyat) session to begin on March 7 plans to discuss a proposal to amend the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (CMA) pushing for the development of communications and multimedia, as well as changes for the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) which operates under the CMA. The CMA and MCMC play critical roles in Malaysia's ecosystem for electronic commerce and the digital economy. The amendment was initially scheduled for Parliamentary debate in October 2015, but was postponed.

According to the Malaysian Ministry of Communications and Multimedia (KKMM), the proposal is a comprehensive amendment of the CMA, which may include provisions that raise penalties from RM 50,000 (US$12,000) to RM 500,000 (US$120,000) and changes in regulations governing social media users, bloggers, and news portals.

Drafts of the proposed amendment have not yet been released, and discussions around the amendment come at a time when Malaysia faces scrutiny regarding the country’s regulations on internet content. Earlier this week the U.S. State Department publicly raised concern about the government's actions to block certain websites in Malaysia.
 
Please join us to discuss this issue and plans to offer concerns and input to the Malaysian Government.