Malaysian minister warns of possible action against Facebook over online gambling content
Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil claimed Facebook was failing to cooperate to tackle online scams and illegal gambling content.
Malaysia.- Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil has warned of possible action against Facebook and parent company Meta over illegal gambling advertisements and scam-related content. Speaking during the Inter-Agency Retreat on Combatting Online Scam 2026 in Kuala Lumpur, Fahmi said the government had effectively given the company a “last opportunity” to demonstrate stronger cooperation with Malaysian authorities.
According to the minister, Malaysian authorities issued 271,472 takedown requests for harmful online content between January 1 and May 23, 2026. Of those, 91 per cent were linked to online scams and illegal gambling operations. Officials said that 81 per cent of the gambling-related content and 58 per cent of scam-related material identified by regulators was hosted on Facebook.
Any legal action would be handled by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC). The Malaysian government is also considering the creation of a dedicated anti-scam coordination committee involving regulators, law enforcement agencies, banks, telecommunications companies and online safety specialists. The proposal is expected to be submitted to Cabinet within the coming weeks.
