Don’t click on suspicious links on social media, says Teo

KUALA LUMPUR: Do not click any suspicious links to keep inappropriate content from popping up on one’s social media feed, says Teo Nie Ching.

“Social media users should be aware of algorithms used to track the behaviour of people, any related content, posts, engagement metrics and relations with a user,” said the Deputy Communications Minister.

“This information is used to decide what sort of content that will be supplied to the news feed or user’s main feed,” she added when replying to a supplementary question raised by Nordin Ahmad Ismail (PN-Lumut) in the Dewan Rakyat on Thursday (June 27).

Nordin had asked what is being done to prevent pornographic material from repeatedly appearing on a person’s Facebook feed.

Earlier, the House erupted in laughter when RSN Rayer (PH-Jelutong) suggested that Teo organise a special lecture session for MPs to teach them not to randomly click on links.

“We should be aware and have self discipline. If we go looking for such things, they will appear. If we don’t click, the thing will not appear,” he said when raising the issue with Teo.

This resulted in Nordin standing up to deny Rayer’s insinuation that pornographic materials were appearing on his social media feed because he had clicked on dubious links.

“It is not what I am looking for. I don’t have Facebook, but if you open Facebook, I will show you,” he said in response.

Nordin then asked Dewan Rakyat Deputy Speaker Alice Lau to order Rayer to retract his earlier statement, but proceedings continued with Teo reiterating her earlier advice.

“Social media algorithms will push content which it feels that the user is interested in,” she said.

She acknowledged that this is an issue affecting both the young and older generations of social media users, who must learn how to filter content when online.

Earlier, Teo told the House that549 pornographic and obscene websites were blocked by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) between Jan 1 and June 1 of this year.

She added that a total of 308 items of pornographic content and 29 items of obscene content were removed by social media platform providers following a request by MCMC.