On Friday, Malaysia announced its intention to pursue legal action against Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, for not taking down "undesirable" content. This marks the country's most assertive step yet in addressing such issues. Since assuming office in November following a tightly contested election, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's government has committed to tackling provocative content related to race and religion, citing concerns over rising ethnic tensions in the Southeast Asian nation.
he Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) stated that Facebook has recently been overwhelmed with a surge of undesirable content related to race, royalty, religion, defamation, impersonation, online gambling, and scam advertisements. Despite repeated requests, Meta has not taken adequate measures to address the issue, prompting the need for legal action to ensure cybersecurity accountability and protect consumers.
Meta has yet to respond to requests for comment. When asked about potential legal measures, the commission clarified in an emailed statement on Saturday that the misuse of network facilities or application services could constitute an offence under Malaysia's Communications and Multimedia Act 1998. The law also permits prosecution of company officials for "willfully providing means and aiding criminal activity" if prompt action is not taken.
Sensitive issues such as race and religion remain contentious in Malaysia, a country with a Muslim Malay majority and substantial ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities. Criticism of the nation's highly respected royal family is also a delicate matter, with negative remarks potentially leading to charges under sedition laws.
The move against Facebook comes just weeks before elections in six states, which are anticipated to see a contest between Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's multi-ethnic coalition and a conservative Malay Muslim alliance.
Facebook remains Malaysia's most popular social media platform, with approximately 60 percent of the country's 33 million people registered as users.
Social media giants like Meta, YouTube (owned by Google), and TikTok frequently face regulatory scrutiny worldwide over the content shared on their platforms. In Southeast Asia, governments often request the removal of specific content. In 2020, Vietnam threatened to ban Facebook if it did not comply with government demands to censor additional political content. The Vietnamese government reported that social media platforms removed over 3,200 posts and videos in the first quarter of the previous year for violating local laws.
Similarly, in Indonesia, Facebook took down hundreds of local pages, accounts, and groups linked to a fake news network in 2019.