It was reported that Malaysia has decided not to take action following “positive” engagement with the social media giant which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. He said Meta has given their firm commitment to work with Malaysian authorities, including the regulator and the police, to tackle such posts on its platforms.
He told Reuters, “I don’t think MCMC needs at this point in time to initiate any legal action. I think this level of cooperation is very positive”. He added that the government is also considering other measures such as fines against social media platforms if they failed to tackle harmful content.Earlier this month, Fahmi revealed that Malaysians have lost nearly RM330 million to scams on Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp between January to May 2023.
The social network platform has also repeatedly allowed scam ads impersonating Bursa Malaysia CEO as well as mainstream news titles to promote online gambling. Even The Star haswarning readers about Facebook ads misusing The Star’s branding. Most of these scams could have been prevented if Meta conducts basic checks on new advertisers and if they establish a local ad moderation team in Malaysia which can take down inappropriate ads and content reported by local users. It is well documented that Meta has knowingly approved scam ads on their platform and it is seen as prioritising ad revenues over user safety.