KUALA LUMPUR – Social media giant Meta should not waste any more time in cracking down on scammers and pedophiles making use of its platforms, said Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil.
Fahmi disclosed that while the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp had asked for “additional time” to tackle such issues, conceding to their request would merely aid in the spread of harmful online content.
“Honestly, we cannot give more time to scammers and pedophilia groups…I have received public complaints on the existence of pedophilia groups on Facebook (joined by) hundreds of thousands of people.
“They have been operating for decades. I don’t understand why Meta is still defending scammers and pedophiles,” the minister told reporters after attending the Deepavali Madani 2024 event at Sentul Depot here today.
Fahmi added that since Putrajaya has established a licensing requirement for social media platforms aimed at curbing online crimes, Meta should “just get on with it” instead of furnishing excuses to justify its lack of enforcement.
“If (Meta) were to say that we have never held discussions with them, that would be a lie (as) we have engaged with them since earlier this year.
“I have even gone to Singapore to talk to them, but they will give all sorts of excuses. To me, the safety of citizens and our children cannot be compromised,” he added.
Yesterday, Fahmi admonished Meta for its ongoing struggles to address child sexual crimes and grooming, particularly on its Facebook platform, urging the company to take a firmer stance.
Meta, he said, needs to be much more proactive in combating groups on its social media accounts that are involved in sexual criminal activities.
He noted that during a meeting with Meta representatives, the entity had expressed its views on the compliance requirements necessary for implementing the licensing initiative, which include the Code of Conduct and the Online Safety Act.
However, Meta acknowledged that it has yet to fully examine these requirements. The social media and internet messaging platform licensing move is set to be enforced on January 1, 2025. – October 31, 2025