MELAKA, May 9 — The government, through the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), will examine measures to be taken, including legal action, against social media giant Meta if it is proven to have continuously failed to curb the existence of fake accounts involving the Malay Rulers institution and scam-related content.
Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said several measures would be reviewed and expressed hope that Meta would respond to calls to cooperate with MCMC in ensuring its platforms are safer for users in the country.
“We have summoned Meta because many of these fake accounts are found on the Facebook platform in particular, although they also exist on other platforms such as TikTok and Instagram. However, the majority are on Facebook.
“I have reprimanded Meta, but they seem to show no respect for the institution of the Malay Rulers, and I am honestly very disappointed with Meta’s failure, especially the team managing Facebook, to understand that the institution of the Malay Rulers in Malaysia is a very important institution, enshrined in the Constitution and must be respected, including by international platforms such as Facebook.
“I regard legal action as the last option, but we are already close to that last option,” he said.
He told reporters this after attending the School Infrastructure Contribution Ceremony and Outstanding Student Awards of Hang Tuah Jaya in Ayer Keroh here today.
The event was officiated by Deputy Higher Education Minister and Hang Tuah Jaya Member of Parliament Adam Adli Abd Halim, and was also attended by Communications Ministry deputy secretary-general (Strategic Communications and Creative Industry) Nik Kamaruzaman Nik Husin, as well as heads of federal and state departments.
Elaborating further, Fahmi said the government is examining several measures, including legal action under the Online Safety Act (ONSA), which is expected to be gazetted soon, should the platform continue to fail in curbing fake accounts and scam content using the names of the Malay Rulers.
“Under this Act, provisions include fines of up to RM1 million and daily fines of RM100,000, in addition to penalties that can reach RM10 million. Therefore, we want platforms such as Facebook to provide better cooperation to ensure they are safe for Malaysians to use,” he said.
Regarding more than 15,000 fake accounts using the names of 26 royal family members identified between January and May this year based on MCMC monitoring and public complaints, Fahmi said the number was very large for the period concerned.
Meanwhile, he said the total amount of content requested to be taken down from various social media platforms exceeded 230,000 pieces, with more than 90 per cent involving online gambling and scams. — Bernama
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