Media Bill will not restrict social media use: Falah

PNC Parliamentary Group Majority Leader Ibrahim Falah has assured that the Media Regulation Bill submitted to Parliament does not include provisions to close down public social media accounts.

In a post on X, Falah said that even if the bill submitted by Independent MP for Thulhaadhoo Abdul Hannan Abubakuru is passed, accounts platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, and X will not be shut down.

He encouraged the public to “continue using social media to its full capacity.”

However, the bill’s current draft defines media broadly, including TV, radio, interactive CDs, websites, daily and weekly newspapers, magazines, trade publications, and other registered and unregistered platforms used for public dissemination of information, news, ideas, and advertisements whether in print, online, or through other means.

The legislation further specifies that rules applied to newspapers will also apply to electronic media, and regulations for journalists will extend to those working in electronic media.

Commenting on the definitions, former Supreme Court Justice Husnu Suood noted that the term “digital storage media” could cover a wide range of platforms and tools, as it refers to any medium used for storing digital files, documents, photos, videos, software, and system data.