MCMC mulls action against Meta

PUTRAJAYA - The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) said today it has no option but to take definitive steps or legal action against Meta, the parent company of Facebook, following poor cooperation from Meta to remove undesirable content from its platform.

It said the Facebook platform has been plagued by a significant volume of undesirable content relating to aspects of race, royalty, religion (3R), defamation, impersonation, online gambling, as well as scam advertisements, and MCMC has reached out to Meta to have such harmful contents removed from its platform.

Despite repeated requests, the commission said Meta has failed to take sufficient action to address the issue of undesirable content on its platform and has not fully cooperated with efforts to remove such content.

"Meta’s response, which has been sluggish and unsatisfactory, has not met the urgency of the matter and has led to increasing public concern and scrutiny," said MCMC in a statement today.

"As there is insufficient cooperation from Meta, MCMC has no option but to take definitive steps or legal action against Meta as a measure to ensure that people are secure and protected in the digital sphere,” it said.

MCMC said the action is necessary to promote accountability for cybersecurity and enhance consumer protection against online harm including fraudulent activities and scams.

MCMC said it is utterly intolerant towards any continuous and escalating abuse of online platforms and telecommunications, networks, or online facilities for malicious cyber activities, phishing, or any content that threatens racial stability and social harmony and defies respect for the Rulers. - BERNAMA