The government is “close to taking legal action” against social media giant Meta over the spread of fake accounts involving Malay rulers and other scam-related content, says Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil.
Fahmi said Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, had been repeatedly summoned over the issue as many of the fraudulent accounts were detected on Facebook, although similar cases were also found on TikTok and Instagram.
He said he had already reprimanded the company, but expressed disappointment that Meta appeared to show little regard for the institution of the Malay rulers.
“I have reprimanded Meta, but they seem to show no respect for the institution of the Malay rulers,” he said, adding that the royal institution is enshrined in the Federal Constitution and must be respected by all platforms, including international tech companies.
Fahmi also stressed that legal action is being considered as a last resort, but acknowledged that the government is now nearing that stage. He said the proposed action could be taken under the Online Safety Act, which is expected to be gazetted soon.
Under the proposed law, offenders may face fines of up to RM1 million, daily penalties of RM100,000, and total fines reaching RM10 million.
According to Fahmi, a total of 15,296 fake accounts impersonating 26 members of royalty have been identified this year alone.
Among those affected were the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, and Tengku Permaisuri of Selangor, Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin.
He added that social media platforms have already removed 14,750 of the identified fake accounts following government requests.
