Authorities have encouraged Meta, a tech giant, to give a full explanation. The Reuters report alleges that 10 percent of Meta’s revenue comes from ads linked to illegal activities, such as scams and online gambling.
Datuk Fahmi Fadzil, Communications Minister, said the report is concerning. It alleges that Meta profited from ads promoting activities illegal under Malaysian law.
At a recent post-Cabinet press conference, he said that if true, this is very worrying. It suggests that part of Meta’s profits comes from illegal activities, including those prohibited in Malaysia.
Fahmi is also the MADANI Government spokesman. He said that Meta has yet to provide a satisfactory response to the report and that it misrepresented the figures.
Fahmi also said that’s not sufficient. He regrets that someone released the report recently. This shocking information will certainly prompt them to summon Meta for a full explanation.
Reuters revealed that Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, projected that 10 percent of its total revenue last year—about USD 16 billion—would come from ads linked to scams and restricted products.
The report states that numerous recently unreported internal documents revealed that the social media giant had failed to identify and stop ads exposing billions of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp users to fraudulent e-commerce and investment schemes, illegal online gambling, and the sale of restricted medical products.
One document dated December last year stated that the company had circulated about 15 billion higher-risk ads on average. These ads displayed clear signs of fraud to users on its platforms.
Fahmi commented on the issue, saying the government was dissatisfied with Meta’s takedown process for risky content. He described the process as too slow.
