He said the toolkit would act as a guide for member states to enhance their laws and regulations to deal with digital threats.

“Malaysia, via the communications ministry and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), is assisting other Asean countries to develop a toolkit.

“It is based on how Malaysia has dealt with scams, cyberbullying and curbing extremist ideologies on social media.

“However, such problems aren’t endemic to Malaysia. It plagues other countries too,” he said at an event here.

Fahmi said Malaysia is taking the opportunity as the Asean chair to share its experience in managing issues related to cyber and digital security, including its success in regulating international social media platforms.

“Malaysia is officially the only country at the moment which has compelled Telegram to obtain a licence.”

In January, Telegram became the third social media service provider to receive an operating licence in Malaysia after Tencent (WeChat) and ByteDance (TikTok).

Last June, Putrajaya said it will require social media platforms and messaging services with more than eight million users in the country to obtain a licence as part of efforts to curb financial scams, cyberbullying and sexual crimes online.

MCMC previously said the companies may face legal action if they fail to obtain licences by Jan 1.

Today, Fahmi said the numerous developments in the digital world made it vital for Asean nations to work together.