Malaysia has changed its mind after initially declaring that it would block Meta and Facebook due to worries about gambling and explicit content. The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission said the company is no longer on the blacklist in an update at the end of last week. The platform's openness to publishing content about online gambling, religion, and race had started to cause problems. The situation grew worse as a result of assaults on Malaysia's royal family.

Since then, Meta has stepped forward to assist Malaysia in regulating the content that is made available in the nation. However, it doesn't seem like the business will expand its anti-fraud and anti-impersonation measures to other geographical areas.

Meta Participates

Minister of Communications and Digital Fahmi Fadzil canceled the ban after noting that Meta had been cooperative in working with the government. In order to address the problem of objectionable content posted on its platforms, he emphasized Meta's diligent efforts to work with Malaysian governmental entities, including its regulatory bodies and law enforcement agencies.

With 33 million people, Malaysia has a 60% Facebook registration rate. Facebook is now the country's dominant social media platform as a result. But since the ban last month, there has been a decline.

Fahmi argued that while the government wants to protect free speech, it also wants to control material that is racially, religiously, and nationally sensitive. Malaysia grapples with significant concerns surrounding ethnicity and religion, given its diverse population comprising the Muslim Malay majority, as well as Chinese and Indian minority groups.

Fahmi steadfastly denied any involvement in the recent deletion of numerous social media sites and accounts, unfazed by complaints about increased governmental control of free speech. Although the timing is questionable, he claimed that the removal of those pages or websites was probably the result of citizen complaints rather than government action.

As Malaysia prepares for its upcoming local elections, those pages are being removed. A coalition of Malay-Muslim parties seeking a more conservative administration will challenge Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's administration in August.

It is against the law in Malaysia to insult sultans who actively participate in ceremonial events. In the middle of July, less than a month before the election, opposition leader Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor faced sedition charges for supposedly disrespecting these individuals.

Malaysian Support for Illegal Gambling

Gambling is prohibited in Malaysia, just like it is in the majority of Muslim nations. This results in a multibillion dollar industry because no government has demonstrated that it can stop the activity.

Numerous illegal gambling businesses have been shut down in Malaysia, and the discovery of a new one just last week illustrates the industry's potential size. Three people were detained last week on suspicion of engaging in illegal gambling by anti-corruption police as part of an ongoing offensive operation. Cash, gold, and 17 high-end vehicles were also seized.

According to reports, the government seized MYR38 million ($8.4 million). But gold was the preferred form of payment. 200 kg, or about $13 million, were taken.According to reports, a 42-year-old unnamed businessman had access to up to MYR500 million (US$110.85 million). He was only detained for one day before being freed on bail and is now being held on a number of charges. These include illegal gambling, criminal conspiracy, and money laundering.