The government plans to amend the Communications and Multimedia Act to require social media platforms to share user data with authorities.
Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching announced the proposal for a new legal provision, according to FMT.
“Once this new section to the law is passed by the Dewan Rakyat, police will be authorised to demand data from social media platforms, to provide data on particular users,” Teo stated.
She expressed hope that this provision would assist police in their investigations.
According to Malaysiakini, the apparent objective is to enable law enforcement to identify individuals behind fake accounts who disseminate false news and engage in other malicious activities.
Yet, this also implies that if the authorities aim to pursue you, adopting a fake profile picture and a fictitious username might not offer protection.