Meta recently spoke out against Malaysia’s plan to require social media platforms to get a regulatory license by January.
They called out the proposal for being unclear on guidelines and barely giving companies enough time to comply, saying this move could hurt digital innovation and growth in Malaysia.
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“Why do they want to protect these scammers and paedophiles?”
After the incident, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil fired back at Meta in a video shared on his Facebook page, saying he believes they’re just “making excuses.”
He also said he won’t compromise on the safety of Malaysian kids and families after Meta criticised the plan, claiming it lacks clear guidelines and doesn’t give them enough time to comply.
“Meta’s asking for more time. But honestly, we can’t keep giving scammers and paedophile groups more room to operate. So, I don’t understand why Meta wants to protect scammer groups and paedophiles.” he added.
He also shared that he’s surprised by Meta’s request to hold off on the change, especially since they’ve been talking with Meta about the new licensing rules since the start of the year.
“Just get on with it!”
Earlier, Fahmi explained that Malaysia isn’t holding back on the new regulations, making it clear that tech companies need to stick to local laws to keep operating in the country.
Companies that do not comply by January 1 may face legal action.
“I went down to Singapore to discuss this with them. They’ll give all sorts of excuses, but for me, the safety of Malaysians, especially children and families, is something we can’t compromise on.”
Fahmi also said that delaying things isn’t an option because it would give criminal groups like scammers and paedophiles more time to exploit Meta’s platforms.
“We’ve had countless complaints from the public about paedophile groups on Facebook with thousands of members, running unchecked for years.”
You can watch the full video down below:
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