BUKIT MERTAJAM: Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil will hold a meeting with tech giant Meta on Sept 22 to address growing concern over online gambling content on its platforms, particularly Facebook.
Speaking to newsmen here today, Fahmi confirmed the scheduled meeting.
“I will meet with Meta on Sept 22. We will discuss several matters. Currently, some companies are still not licensed and they have some questions and inquiries. I believe on Sept 22, we will be able to manage some of these issues,” he said.
Elaborating, Fahmi said the majority of content taken down from Facebook was related to online gambling — ads and posts that promote illegal gambling. He said it was far too easy to find such material on the platform.
He said that despite repeated complaints, Meta had refused to block credit card accounts used to purchase these illegal ads.
“If a gambling ad is paid for using a credit card, and Facebook knows this content is illegal in Malaysia, they should block the credit card account used. But Facebook has refused to do so.
“We are opting for dialogue rather than punitive measures. We do not intend to ban or shut down (the platform). We are taking a constructive stance.
“Many people benefit from these platforms socially and economically — but we cannot allow criminals to misuse them for profit or to commit online crimes,” he added.
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