Social sites not personal diaries - MCMC

Internet users are advised against using social sites as personal diaries, said Malaysian Communications And Multimedia Commission (MCMC) Development and Outreach Planning Department deputy director, Nur Haili Nadia Mustapha Kamal.

She said via MCMC's monitorings, it was found that many users often updated their status and activities related to their personal lives, including sharing locations of their whereabouts.

"This negligence invites disaster when personal information is shared in this way. We do not know our friends on the social sites who may manipulate the information we shared.

"It invites bad intentions of certain parties. Nowadays, we see privacy is no longer there among users of social sites,"she told Bernama at Wisma Bernama here yesterday.

In this regard, Nur Halli Nadia urged users of social sites to think wisely before sharing or uploading something which might not only implicate them but also others.

She said consumers also must make settings on their respective social sites to control whatever information which could be shared with friends in cyberspace.

"If there are any abuses on the social sites, the consumers must quickly report it to the moderator of the social sites because they will give priority to you. Then lodge a report with MCMC and the police, if necessary," she said.

Halili Nadia also urged consumers not to be slaves to the social sites by uploading and sharing numerous matters merely in pursuit of popularity and getting many 'likes.'

Touching on the role of MCMC, she said the commission had introduced the Click Wisely as an educational tool and understanding of current issues that involved cyber bullies, and guidance for parents to tackle it.

Via the , she said MCMC channelled numerous tips to prevent users being victims of cyber bullies other than giving exposure on being alert when using the internet

She said the campaign, which was based on the fifth tenet of the Rukun Negara, was now at its second phase that focused on the issue of the cyber bully crime, going overboard in sharing personal details and cheating on the internet.

"We have produced a series of videos on the implication of the internet for consumers, cooperated with the media and went down to the field to give talks in schools and higher institutions of learning," she said.

She added that a total 6,000 internet education were conducted by the MCMC nationwide last year.