Over 90% of Facebook content removed related to scams and gambling, says Fahmi

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The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has reportedly requested social media platform Facebook to remove a total of 249, 268 pieces of content this year.

172,072 of the content was related to online gambling, while 56,136 were related to scams. This makes up 91.6% of the content requested.

Communications minister Fahmi Fadzil said that the MCMC does not have the authority to direct social media platforms to remove content. However, they can request that the content be taken down, reported Bernama. That said, it is up to the platform to decide, Fahmi added.

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The minister reportedly said during his debate on the Supply Bill 2025 Budget at Dewan Rakyat on 27 November. During which, the minister reportedly said that Malaysians lost RM432 million to scams on Facebook last year.

On the other hand, Facebook earned RM2.5 billion in revenue from Malaysia, largely from advertisements, including those related to online investment scams, said Fahmi.

The minister then clarified that anyone could file a complaint with MCMC. Following the complaint, the MCMC will forward the complaint to the relevant social media platform. This was reportedly in response to a remark by politician Mas Ermieyati Samsudin who claimed that the government was removing critical content.

In tandem, a WhatsApp chatbot service would also be launched in January, Fahmi reportedly said. The chatbot aims to combat the spread of fake news and will enable all WhatsApp users to forward messages they suspect to be false or contain questionable elements for verification through AI technology.

Meanwhile, earlier this month Fahmi reportedly said that Facebook should invest in AI to combat harmful content.

The minister also added that AI could play a crucial role in addressing online crimes such as scams, online gambling, cyberbullying and child sexual exploitation.

The minister reportedly made these comments at the eight International Search Conference, 'Media evolution - navigating sustainability and disruption in a dynamic world' which was held at Taylor's University on 11 November.

Fahmi stated that social media platforms were often slow in their response to harmful content and remove them only after complaints are received from authorities. He reportedly urged that these platforms take a more proactive approach in helping the government combat these crimes online.

Whilst Meta has since removed the harmful content, their response was "reactive", Fahmi reportedly added, citing that Meta's decision to act after an issue is raised is one of the reasons why the government is advocating for licensing of social media platforms.

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