KUALA LUMPUR — The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has expressed deep concern over a Reuters investigation alleging that Meta earned revenue from advertisements promoting scams, online gambling and other illegal activities.
In a statement today, the regulator said it shared the concerns raised by Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil and would summon Meta for an official explanation regarding the claims.
MCMC said it has launched an investigation, adding that any confirmation of wrongdoing would constitute “a serious breach of public trust and national laws”.
The commission revealed that it had met with Meta and other major social media platforms prior to the Reuters exposé to address the persistent problem of fraudulent and illegal online advertisements.
During those engagements, MCMC noted the exceptionally high volume of takedown requests it had to submit to Meta compared with other platforms.
Between Jan 1 and Nov 4 this year, MCMC lodged 157,208 requests with Meta to remove illegal online activity advertisements and another 44,922 concerning scam-related ads.
In contrast, takedown requests for online gambling ads during the same period were significantly lower for TikTok (3,956), Telegram (269), X (11), and YouTube (45,448).
MCMC said it had previously urged Meta to adopt a more proactive approach, arguing that the company’s existing safeguards remain inadequate as scams and illegal gambling continue to proliferate.
To strengthen online safety, the commission reiterated its position that all social media and internet messaging platforms must be formally licensed and demonstrate robust systems capable of preventing illicit activity.
It also encouraged platforms to introduce user identity verification mechanisms to improve transparency and accountability.
MCMC added that legal action would be taken against any platform found to have knowingly facilitated or colluded in illegal activities. – November 18, 2025