Malaysian Communications Minister, Datuk Fahmi Fadzil, has announced that he will meet with Meta in September to demand stronger action against gambling advertisements and related content on Facebook.
The move forms part of the Government's ongoing Safe Internet Campaign, which aims to protect children and vulnerable groups from harmful online activity.
Fadzil told local media that Facebook had ignored repeated complaints from authorities regarding online gambling promotions, many of which are paid advertisements.
"Complaints that we have submitted from the beginning until now, for example, if an online gambling advertisement is paid for using a credit card, Facebook should know that this is content not permitted in Malaysia," he said.
The Minister stressed that the government does not seek to ban or shut down the platform in the country but wants Meta to take a more constructive stance.
"It is to deliver the message that we must use the internet safely, and that in fact we have the ability to make the internet safer, especially for children and families," he added.
The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission has already visited more than 2,600 schools this year through the Safe Internet Campaign and it also aims to reach 10,000 schools by 2026.
The announcement follows a recent crackdown in which 328 people were arrested in Malaysia for operating illegal gambling activities
