Fahmi said rapid AI and social media adoption had created serious ethical, economic and social consequences, with the launch coming amid growing concerns over the misuse of AI, platform accountability and digital harms.
The government spokesman highlighted recent controversies involving social media platform X and its AI chatbot Grok in speaking on how poorly regulated technologies could be misused.
“These cases show that when governance does not keep pace with technology, vulnerable groups are exposed to harm,” he said in his keynote address, adding that regulators across the globe had begun pushing back against aggressive responses from some technology companies.
While Malaysia had succeeded in delivering fast and affordable internet access, Fahmi said policy focus must shift towards building a safer digital ecosystem, especially for children and families.
He said social media platforms, including TikTok and Google, had agreed to participate in next month’s Safe Internet Campaign 2.0, an initiative aimed at educating parents and the public about safe online practices.
Fahmi said that while some platforms had actively cooperated, temporary restrictions such as those imposed on Grok over harmful AI-generated prompts would remain until companies demonstrate full compliance.
Enforcement under the Online Safety Act 2025, which came into effect on Jan 1, had already removed about 27,000 pieces of harmful content within the first two weeks of the year, roughly 76% of which involved scams and illegal online gambling, he said.
Fahmi also called for continued Asean collaboration on digital governance, highlighting the Kuala Lumpur Declaration on Safe and Responsible Use of Social Media Platforms adopted at the 47th Asean Summit last October.
“With 660 million people, Asean cannot be sidelined. Acting collectively allows the region to respond more effectively to big tech,” he said, adding that some platforms behaved as if they were “bigger than nations”.
In his speech at the launch, Institute of Strategic and International Studies Malaysia chairman Faiz Abdullah said CERT was established to address the gap between market forces and regulation as both had limitations in protecting society from technological harm.
Faiz said CERT served as an independent research body providing evidence-based analysis to policymakers, bridging the gaps between market forces and regulation.
“Markets do not internalise long-term social costs or protect vulnerable communities by default, while regulation often arrives after damage has already been done,” he said.
“CERT exists to ensure that technology governance in Malaysia is informed, responsible and anchored in the public interest.”