Malaysia set to introduce Online Safety Bill

Malaysia is the latest country to announce legislation aiming to place a “duty of care” on digital service providers. Speaking at the International Legal Conference on Online Harms organised by the Government of Malaysia on 5-6 September, 5Rights called for the new law to put children’s rights front and centre and embed international best practice for age-appropriate design of service.

The International Conference brought together leading world experts to inform the Online Harms Bill the Government of Malaysia intends to table in Parliament in the coming weeks. A focus on “Protecting Children in the Digital Era” saw 5Rights invited alongside champions including Frances Haugen and Maria Ressa to discuss the systemic challenges children face online and explore solutions to empower youth in an increasingly interconnected world.

Presenting 5Rights’ research including “Disrupted Childhood: the cost of persuasive design“, “Pathways: How digital design puts children at risk” and Risky-by-design, International Advocacy Manager Marie-Eve Nadeau put the case clearly for Malaysia to set a high bar for children’s safety and privacy online by putting child rights as set out in the UNCRC General comment No. 25 at its core, and aligning with the international best practice standards of the Age Appropriate Design Code.

“The digital world can offer children vast opportunities to learn, grow, and connect and we have a duty to make sure those opportunities are safe, rights respecting, and age-appropriate. Guided by General comment No. 25 and the Age Appropriate Design Code, Malaysia now has the opportunity to build on recent international efforts and maintain the high bar to fully deliver for every child in this country.” – Marie-Eve Nadeau, International Advocacy Manager at 5Rights.

Malaysia can play a key role in advancing international standards for the implementation of children’s rights in the digital environment, implementing its commitments under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child as well as under the freshly-adopted Global Digital Compact.

5Rights stands ready to support Malaysia in these efforts, both nationally and as a regional leader, with Malaysia set to take over as Chair of the regional group ASEAN on 11 October.