KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 30 — The Madani government will continue to ensure that social media platforms take a firm stance against online crime to create a safer Internet for everyone, especially children and families, said Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil.

In a meeting with Meta representatives yesterday, Fahmi said he had expressed his concerns about their continuous failure to address issues related to paedophilia and child sexual grooming, particularly on Facebook.

"Meta needs to be much more proactive in combating group accounts on its social media platforms that engage in such sexual criminal activities,” he said in a statement today.

The meeting was also attended by Communications Ministry secretary-general Datuk Mohamad Fauzi Md Isa, Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) chairman Tan Sri Mohamad Salim Fateh Din, as well as Meta South-east Asia Public Policy director Rafael Frankel, who led the Meta team.

According to Fahmi, the discussions focused on the readiness of all parties for the enforcement of licensing regulations for social media platforms and Internet messaging systems, which was slated to take effect on Jan 1 next year.

Fahmi, who is also the government’s spokesperson, said that during the meeting Meta expressed its views regarding the licensing compliance requirements, including the Code of Conduct and the Online Safety Act, which they have not yet fully reviewed.

"I reminded Meta that the government’s intention in imposing this licensing is to address issues of crime that have migrated to social media, including scams, online gambling, cyberbullying, and sexual crimes against children.

"However, I am committed to listening to the views of all social media platforms, as the licence to be issued is a Class Licence,” he said.

The licensing will apply to all social media platform providers with at least eight million registered users.

Fahmi said that Meta has also agreed to provide feedback on the draft Code of Conduct published on Oct 22 and will hold further discussions with the MCMC early next week to examine various aspects in more detail.

"I welcome Meta’s willingness to continue collaborating on this licensing issue,” he added. — Bernama