COMMENT | Article 19 and the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) are concerned about some specific provisions of the Online Safety Bill (OSB) 2024, tabled in Parliament yesterday for the first reading due to the Bill’s strong potential to undermine freedom of expression in Malaysia.

We, as part of the Expert Council formed by the minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) in August this year, submitted our concerns and recommendations based on the parameters presented by the government in September.

We recognise the need to hold online service providers and social media platforms accountable where their products and services have a profound negative impact on human rights. While not all are identical, the business models of the largest platforms often rely on data-driven advertising, data monetisation, and algorithms that prioritise user engagement.

This can lead to...