The Malaysian government recently announced that it would take legal action against Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, for failing to remove harmful content from its social media platform. The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission revealed that there has been a significant volume of undesirable content on Facebook relating to race, religion, royalty, impersonation, online gambling, defamation, and scam advertisements. They have contacted Meta on multiple occasions to have such harmful content removed, but the company failed to take sufficient action.
The government agency said that it has decided to take definitive steps or legal action against Meta to promote accountability for cybersecurity and protect consumers from online harms, including fraudulent activities and scams. However, they did not name particular examples of the content in question or specify what form its legal action would take.
Despite repeated requests from MCMC, Meta has not fully cooperated with efforts to remove such contents. Meta has not yet responded to the request for comment on the matter.
The Malaysian government’s move highlights the social media giant’s responsibility to effectively moderate harmful content on its platform and holds the company accountable for protecting the privacy and safety of its users.
