Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – International Council for Advertising Self-Regulation (ICAS), the global platform for advertising self-regulation, welcomes Malaysia’s independent self-regulatory body for electronic-networked content, Communications and Multimedia Content Forum of Malaysia (CMCF), as its new associate member.
ICAS promotes responsible advertising through effective advertising self-regulation. It collaborates with advertising industry members in developing robust advertising codes of conduct at national level and funds self-regulatory organizations (SROs), which then independently monitor and enforce said codes. ICAS has been managing a network of SROs from North & South America, Australia, and Asia as well as Africa and Europe, and with CMCF, ICAS now has a total of 32 members in its organization. Partnerships also include global affiliations such as World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) and International Advertising Association (IAA), as well as experts on global advertising and marketing laws (GALA).
Malaysia’s CMCF oversees a content code that sets out guidelines and procedures for good practice and standards of content disseminated for public consumption by service providers in the communications and multimedia industry in the country. It operates under the auspices of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission and is comprised of key members in the industry, including broadcasters, advertisers, and content creators, as well as internet access service providers, and civic groups.
Lee Peeler, ICAS President, said, “We at ICAS are delighted to welcome the CMCF to our global network. CMCF’s decision to join ICAS will certainly strengthen our efforts to promote the value of effective self-regulation worldwide, but especially in the Asian Pacific region and its thriving economies.”
“CMCF has regulated content and advertising in Malaysia for two decades and we look forward to learning from them and working together to achieve our objectives and ensure responsible advertising for consumers and businesses across the globe,” added Peeler.
Meanwhile, Mediha Mahmood, executive director of CMCF, believes that CMCF’s addition to the organization comes at a rightful time where the global digital content landscape is evolving even faster than the process of making new laws.
“This necessitates the collaboration of global stakeholders to address and facilitate self-regulation, providing an additional layer of protection to complement the legal framework. CMCF constantly seeks to collaborate with content stakeholders not only locally, but also on an international level. Our alliance with ICAS and its 31 members is a step in the right direction. We look forward to a fruitful collaboration with ICAS,” said Mahmood.
