KOTA KINABALU: It could take between one and two weeks to remove sensitive or inappropriate online content, said Communications Ministry deputy secretary-general (Telecommunications Infrastructure) Mano Verabathran.
He said that in order to remove such content, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) must first respond to complaints received.
He added that anyone who feels affected by certain content may lodge a police report.
“There are processes involved. To take down content, MCMC must first check with the platform operators. We have no authority to remove the content ourselves.
“We have to notify them about the content. Then they will review it against their community guidelines, which come with certain conditions.
“It also depends on how long the platforms take to act and other processes. Usually, it takes between one and two weeks,” he told the media after launching the Digital PMKS Madani Grant Fest 2025 at a hotel here.
The incident involving the late Zara Qairina Mahathir has sparked widespread disinformation and misinformation on social media.
A 39-year-old schoolteacher, Siti Hajar Aflah Sharuddin, pleaded not guilty in the magistrates’ court to a charge of spreading unverified information on TikTok.
She had claimed that Zara Qairina died after being put into a washing machine.
Zara was found unconscious in a drain near her school dormitory in Papar on July 16 and died the following day at Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
A 17-day inquest into her death will be held from September 3.
Earlier, Mano said that in the second quarter of this year, 545 new communication towers had been completed and are operational; 5,154 transmitter stations had been upgraded; 300,470 premises had been equipped with fibre-optic access; and all 138 locations in Sabah are now enjoying internet services via satellite.
He said 4G internet coverage in populated areas of Sabah has reached 95.3 per cent, while 5G coverage has reached 69 per cent in densely populated areas, with the implementation of 596 operational 5G transmitters across the state.
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