The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has released a set of guidelines for administrators of social media groups. 

The advisory, amongst its various do's and don'ts, urges administrators to avoid inciting "inappropriate" posts and not "allow discussions to wander off topic". 

Administrators must also not be afraid to deal with "trolls" or those who breach ground rules and stand in the way of law enforcement agencies, said the advisory, which was released yesterday on World Press Freedom Day. 

 

 

"MCMC advises the public, especially users of messaging applications, to be wise in using social media for their own protection," it said in a Facebook posting. 

The guideline applies for group administrators on Facebook, WhatsApp, Wechat, Viber, Telegram and similar applications, it said. 

The advisory, however, was not received well by MCMC's followers on Facebook. 

"Admins should not be held responsible for the actions of any member of their groups. The person(s) concerned can answer for themselves," said Facebook user Chris Sav, who commented on MCMC's post on the guideline. 

Another user reminded MCMC that instead of focusing on this issue, the agency should draft legislation against spamming. 

"Reminder for MCMC: There is still no law to specifically address spam. Do your work," Kheng-Swee Goh said. 

They also questioned which section of the MCMC Act allows the authorities to take action against group administrators.