Between Jan 1 and Nov 4 this year, MCMC had submitted 157,208 takedown requests to Meta involving illegal online activities.
CYBERJAYA: The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has recorded a significantly higher number of takedown requests to Metal platforms for illegal online advertisements compared with other major social media services.
Between Jan 1 and Nov 4 this year, MCMC had submitted 157,208 takedown requests to Meta involving illegal online activities, along with 44,922 requests related to scam investments.
“This number is far higher compared to other platforms. In the same period, takedown requests for online gambling advertisements were submitted to TikTok (3,956), Telegram (269), X (formerly Twitter) (11), and YouTube (45,448).
“MCMC had previously advised Meta to adopt a more proactive approach in combating online scam and gambling activities, as existing measures are still insufficient and such activities continue to negatively impact the public,” according to its media statement today.
The commission added that the matter has become more pressing following a Reuters report with alleged that Meta has benefited from revenue linked to scam and illegal gambling advertisements.
READ MORE: Fahmi to meet Meta reps over online gambling advertisements
“MCMC shares the concerns raised by the Communications Minister, Datuk Fahmi Fadzil, and will summon Meta to provide an official explanation regarding the accuracy of the disclosure.
“At the same time, MCMC will initiate an investigation into the matter. If proven true, it would constitute a serious breach of public trust and national laws.”
MCMC stressed that appropriate legal action may be taken if it is proven that any platform has unintentionally facilitated or been complicit in unlawful activities.
Yesterday during a post-Cabinet meeting press conference, Fahmi said the government will summon Meta to provide a detailed explanation over its handling of scam and illegal online gambling advertisements.
He cited data that showed authorities had spent the equivalent of 22.2 years of work time submitting takedown requests to the platform this year.
He said that despite repeated engagements with enforcement agencies, Meta had yet to demonstrate adequate proactive measures to curb such content.
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