Malaysia’s parliament has approved a new law for publishing and sharing false information on digital platforms and social media, but critics are concerned the law could impact free speech.
Malaysia is the first country to outlaw “fake news” and offenders could land in prison for up to six years.
On Monday, Prime Minister Najib Razak got a majority in parliament to approve the law for publishing or sharing false information on digital platforms and social media.
The law’s expected to pass the country’s upper house this week and come into effect soon after.
In the lead up to a general election, critics of the new law say they could be used to stifle dissent and imprison journalists.
The bill does not appear to clearly define fake news but it allows for broad consequences, including fines of over 120,000 U.S. dollars as well as jail.
The government says the law would not violate freedom of speech, and cases would fall under an independent court.
Malaysia’s Prime Minister, Najib Razak, is preparing to face a tough battle at the election which he is likely to call in the coming days.
Najib has been dogged by stories for over two years about a multi-billion dollar scandal at state fund “1MDB”.
He founded the fund and has been accused of being involved in the scandal – a challenge as he tried to increase popularity ahead of the polls.
The government has denied any political motive, but critics of the laws say there’s reason to be worried.
Just last month Malaysia’s deputy minister for communications and multimedia was quoted saying any news on 1MDB not verified by the government was “fake”.
