Meta Platforms, TikTok report jump in Malaysia govt requests to remove content in 2023
Facebook-owner Meta and China's TikTok restricted a record number of social media posts and accounts in Malaysia in the first six months of 2023, data published by the firms showed, amid a jump in government requests to remove content.
Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's administration, which came to power in November 2022 on a reformist platform, has faced accusations of backpedaling on its promises to protect freedom of speech amid increased scrutiny of online content in recent months.
The government has denied allegations of stifling dissent online, saying it wanted to curb provocative posts that touch on race, religion and royalty.
Between January and June this year, Meta restricted about 3,100 pages and posts on its Facebook and Instagram platforms from being viewed by users in Malaysia because they were reported to have allegedly violated local laws, according to data published in the firm's twice-yearly Transparency Report this month.
The figure was six times higher than in the previous half-year period and the highest since the company began reporting content restrictions in Malaysia in 2017.
Malaysia's communications regulator said in a statement late on Friday that its efforts to request the removal of content on social media platforms were aimed at protecting users from "the significant increase of online harms, and not about stifling diverse views".
Meta said between July 2022 and June 2023, it restricted access to more than 3,500 items in response to reports by Malaysia's communications regulator and other government agencies.
The content included criticism of the government and posts that allegedly violated laws on illegal gambling, hate speech, racially or religiously divisive content, bullying and financial
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