Malaysia Studies Legal Action Against Meta Over Fake Royal Accounts

Malaysia is studying legal action against Meta under the Online Safety Act after authorities identified more than 15,000 fake social media accounts using the names of 26 royal family members between January and May, according to Bloomberg.

Scope of Fake Accounts

Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said most of the fake accounts were hosted on Facebook, while others appeared on Instagram and TikTok. Officials flagged the accounts as part of a broader enforcement effort against fraudulent activity on Meta's platforms.

Government Response and Content Removal

Fadzil said he had reprimanded Meta over the issue. Officials sought the removal of more than 230,000 posts across Meta's platforms. According to the report, over 90% of the flagged posts involved online gambling or scams.

Legal Framework and Potential Penalties

Under Malaysia's Online Safety Act, Meta faces potential fines of up to 1 million ringgit (US$255,000) and daily penalties of 100,000 ringgit (US$26,000) for continued noncompliance with removal orders.