Microsoft Study Says More Malaysians Are Facing Negative Online Interactions

Microsoft recently released results from the latest edition of its annual Civility, Safety, and Interactions Online study which includes a metric that the company has formulated as the Digital Civility Index (DCI).

The study involved 16,000 people in 32 geographies with 500 of them were from Malaysia and this particular instalment of the survey was conducted from April to May 2020. Each participant was asked about their experiences and encounters with different online risks.

According to the results, Malaysia’s DCI score worsened from 59 in 2019 to 63 in 2020, indicating that more Malaysians are experiencing negative online interactions or encountering online risks and Microsoft has noted that this is Malaysia’s least favourable DCI score over the past five years.

So, what’s causing this? Microsoft said that the percentage of people facing hate speech; hoaxes, scams, and frauds; and discrimination online are at all-time highs. For example, in 2020, 4% more Malaysians encountered hoaxes, scams, and frauds than in the previous year, bringing the overall percentage up to 24% of Malaysian users.

You can refer to this infographic for more figures:

The fact that we have more scams around these days is pretty much confirmed by the news. Still, 37% of Malaysian respondents said online civility improved during the COVID-19 pandemic versus 17% who disagreed.

Also, Malaysia performed better in the survey as compared to much of the Asia Pacific (APAC) region. Our DCI score of 63 is better than the 66 attained by the APAC region as a whole.

Myanmar’s Proposed Cyber Laws Criticized For Draconian Requirements and Negative Impact To Industry

Myanmar’s military government has recently drafted new laws governing the Internet and send them to telcos as well as online service providers for feedback. However, the proposed legal changes have been apparently been met with strong criticism due to their burdensome and draconian requirements alongside the potential for abuse, and divergence from prior government promises.

If these new laws are to be passed, all online platforms in Myanmar would be required to keep user data, including IP addresses, home addresses, and ID numbers, for three years using a system that will be chosen by the government.

The government could also order user accounts to be intercepted, blocked, or removed after being flagged for inciting hate, spreading disinformation, or breaking other laws. Authorities also wouldn’t need a warrant when requesting access to data.

Unsurprisingly, the proposed changes are opposed by many – including Telenor, the most prominent Western firm operating in Myanmar and are also the parent company of Digi here in Malaysia. The Norwegian company issued a public statement against the legislation, reminding the authorities that its entry into Myanmar was based on government commitments to bring the “telecom regulatory framework in line with international best practice, including respecting fundamental rights.”

The Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business (MCRB) also panned the proposed laws, saying that they risk killing foreign investment and hobbling domestic businesses. Because the legislation emphasises ‘data localisation’ (ie. data must be stored in sites chosen by the government), MCRB said that banks, e-commerce providers, and other companies with heavy data usage will not be able to take advantage of efficiency and security that provided by international cloud-based services.

According to The Guardian, Myanmar has gone through five internet shutdowns since the military coup on 1 February. Furthermore, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram remain blocked in the country to date.