Malaysian authorities said they are taking legal action against Meta Platforms Inc. after it failed to remove “harmful” and “undesirable” content from Facebook despite the government’s requests.
(Bloomberg) — Malaysian authorities said they are taking legal action against Meta Platforms Inc. after it failed to remove “harmful” and “undesirable” content from Facebook despite the government’s requests.
Facebook content relating to race, religion, royalty, online gambling and scam advertisements has increased, and parent company Meta hasn’t taken sufficient action despite repeated requests from regulators, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission said in a statement Friday.
“MCMC has no option but to take definitive steps or legal action against Meta,” the commission said.
Malaysia is preparing for elections in six states and wants to prevent provocative content from proliferating on social media. Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said in an interview this month his ministry was looking to address weaknesses in regulatory compliance from social media platforms, particularly in matters of hate speech and incendiary content.
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A recent study led by Malaysia’s Centre for Independent Journalism found that “online users employed divisive language and hate-based narratives around race, religion and royalty” in the runup to last year’s general election that led to a hung parliament.
–With assistance from Anisah Shukry and Ram Anand.
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