Kuala lumpur: The International Regulatory Conference (IRC) 2026 kicked off today, serving as a key platform for Malaysia to strengthen its digital regulatory landscape amid the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) and growing online safety concerns.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the two-day conference, organised by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), is themed 'Shaping the Next Digital Era: Regulation, Resilience and Trust.' Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil is scheduled to officiate the opening ceremony this morning, following a keynote address by MCMC Commission member Derek John Fernandez.
The conference began with a high-level dialogue titled 'Online Safety by Design: Platform Accountability and Child Protection in an Age of User Vulnerability', moderated by MCMC deputy managing director (Development) Eneng Faridah Iskandar. The session will discuss ways to create safer digital platforms and strengthen protection for children and vulnerable users. The session will feature panellists including Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM) children's commissioner Dr Farah Nini Dusuki, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Malaysia chief of child protection Saskia Blume, and Australian High Commissioner to Malaysia Danielle Heinecke.
The discourse continued with a session titled 'Sovereign Data, Empowered Citizens: Building Trust, Privacy and Consumer Rights in Malaysia's Digital Future,' which examined issues surrounding data sovereignty and privacy protection as Malaysia advances towards a digital economy. Moderated by MCMC chief of National Sovereign AI Cloud Che Juhan Che Mat, the panel featured industry leaders including Maxis head of Cloud Solutions Chin Kok Loon, TandG Digital chief regulatory officer Foo Yeong Jin and Ericsson chief security officer Dr Connie McIntosh.
The afternoon sessions are set to explore the balance between effective regulation and economic innovation through a dialogue titled 'Regulatory Aspiration vs Economic Reality: Contours of Policy Successes and Shortfalls,' featuring experts from the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia and PEMANDU Associates. The first day will conclude with a session on 'AI and the Humanities: Its Vulnerabilities, Capabilities and Interdisciplinary Landscape,' examining AI's impact on society and the need for a multidisciplinary approach to managing its development. The session brings together experts from the ASEAN Secretariat, PwC Southeast Asia Consulting, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), CelcomDigi and CyberSecurity Malaysia.
The second day of the conference tomorrow will focus on future-frontier technologies. A session on 'Quantum Technology and Communication Architecture and Innovation: A Forward Approach' will feature experts including IBM Quantum (Asia Pacific and Japan) Sales head Rizwan Hussain and academic leaders from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Universiti Malaya (UM) and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). Other key topics on the final day include 'Regulating the Robotics Revolution: A Cross-Sector Imperative', 'Digital Dependency and Human Autonomy: Mental Wellbeing, Knowledge Integrity and Boundaries in an Always-On Society', and 'Innovation-Driven Autonomous Ecosystems and Industry Transformation'.
IRC 2026, the third edition of the conference since its inception in 2024, reflects Malaysia's shift towards implementing its own policy frameworks, including the Online Safety Act 2025 (ONSA), which came into force on Jan 1 this year. The conference, which has drawn participants from over seven countries, including regulators, policymakers and industry leaders, will be officially closed by Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching tomorrow afternoon.