Malaysia considering legal action against Facebook over ‘lack of cooperation’ to address scams
Sign up now: Get insights on the biggest stories in Malaysia
Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said he would leave it to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission to get in touch with the social media giant on the matter.
PHOTO: REUTERS
KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia is mulling over possible legal action against Facebook for its “lack of cooperation” towards efforts to address online scams on the platform, said Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil on May 24.
Datuk Fahmi said he will leave it to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission to get in touch with the social media giant on the matter.
“In my opinion, legal action may have to be taken, but I leave it to the MCMC on this, and give them (Facebook) a last opportunity to prove that they do want to cooperate with the government,” he told reporters after attending a multi-agency retreat on anti-scam measures on May 24.
Mr Fahmi said that 271,472 takedown requests for harmful content across all online platforms were made between Jan 1 and May 23 in 2026.
Of this number, 91 per cent of the requests comprised scams and online gambling-related content.
According to the minister, 81 per cent of the online gambling content and 58 per cent of the online scam content was on Facebook. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
