Malaysia says it will take legal action against Meta over harmful content on Facebook

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia’s government says it will take legal action against Facebook’s parent company, Meta Platforms, for failing to remove undesirable and harmful content from its social media platform. The Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission says Facebook has been plagued by “a significant volume of undesirable content” relating to sensitive issues on race, religion and royalty as well as defamation, impersonation, online gambling and scam advertisements. It said Friday efforts to reach out to Meta were met with a “sluggish and unsatisfactory” response. It says it has no choice but to take steps to ensure a safe digital space. Earlier this month, authorities also warned of action against Telegram following a rise of what they called illegal activities on its plaform.