155 CHILD PORN SITES BLOCKED
MCMC works with police, Google to track down sex predators, says deputy minister
THE Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has blocked 155 child porn sites this year. According to Deputy Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Jailani Johari, most of the sites were registered overseas.
“We have provisions under Section 211 and 233 of the Communication and Multimedia Act. Under these provisions, the Commission has blocked 155 websites that contain child sexual abuse content this year,” Jailani said after officiating the Child Online Protection In Asean seminar here yesterday.
Jailani said MCMC worked with Google and police in tracking down online child sex predators.
“But not everything (about child online protection) should be under enforcement.
“We’ve conducted many public awareness campaigns. But most importantly, parents must monitor what their kids are surfing on the Internet.”
Based on the latest survey conducted by MCMC, 1.8 million children below the age of 18 are frequent Internet users.
They are part of an estimated 21.9 million social media users in the country, in which 97.3 per cent owned Facebook account, followed by 56.1 per cent on Instagram and 45.3 per cent on YouTube.
“Sex education is not just the government’s responsibility. Working parents must be more responsible and make an effort to find out what their kids are watching or playing online as some online games have sexual and violent content,” Jailani said.
As child online safety was a global issue, he said, the government and Asean members were working towards establishing an Asean council for child online protection.
The council will be supported by Asean ICT Cooperation dialogue partners China, South Korea and Japan.
The framework was discussed at the recently concluded 17th Asean Telecommunications and Information Technology Ministers’ meeting in Cambodia.