COMMUNICATIONS Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil has warned that legal action may be taken against TikTok and Meta if both platforms continue to neglect mounting concerns over fake content, cyberbullying, scams, and violations involving underage users.
Speaking after a high-level meeting with TikTok’s top executives, the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM), and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) at Bukit Aman, Fahmi said the government had conveyed a firm message to all social media platforms.
“We have made it clear that these platforms must comply with Malaysian laws. From 1 January to 31 August, 76,002 pieces of content were removed from TikTok, while 10,730 problematic items remained online. That means only 86 percent of flagged content was acted upon,” he said.
The Minister also expressed alarm over the growing number of primary school students on TikTok, in violation of the platform’s minimum age requirement of 13.
“There are far too many underage users. We are concerned not only about content but also about safety,” he said.
Earlier this week, Fahmi had already raised the possibility of enforcement action against TikTok for failing to follow through on repeated requests for greater transparency, especially regarding moderation of content in Tamil.
“TikTok promised to increase the number of moderators, especially for TikTok Live. But in our meeting, they failed to disclose how many Tamil-language moderators had been appointed,” he said.
“We’ve asked for this multiple times. They’ve failed each time. I leave it to MCMC to consider appropriate action.”
Earlier, the minister also confirmed that discussions will soon be held with Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, due to the rising number of complaints about scams and fake accounts on those platforms.
He said police and the public had flagged serious concerns, including the emergence of at least 31 fake accounts impersonating the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC).
“On Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, we’ve received troubling reports of scam-related content, including illicit vape products laced with drugs. Meta’s cooperation so far has been far from convincing,” said Fahmi.
“I have instructed that Meta be called in for discussions in the near future.”
He added that the government is closely observing regional responses to digital regulation, citing Singapore’s decision to fine Meta S$1 million over failure to implement anti-scam improvements.
“The Ministry of Communications and MCMC will not hesitate to take action against any platform that facilitates criminal activity, particularly scammers who prey on Malaysians,” he said.
Fahmi also revealed he had nearly fallen victim to a scam himself, receiving a suspicious WhatsApp message from someone impersonating a former MP.
“I received a message from someone claiming to be ‘Datuk Seri Hasan Arifin’, asking for RM4,400. It turns out the account was hacked,” he said.- Sept 4, 2025
