TLDR Facebook made up 78% of online gambling content flagged for removal in Malaysia this year. YouTube accounted for 18% of flagged gambling content, while TikTok made up 4%. Malaysia’s regulator requested removal of over 470,000 pieces of harmful content since January 1. Online gambling and scams together made up 91% of all takedown requests filed. The communications minister wants platforms to detect and remove harmful content without waiting for reports.
Malaysia’s communications minister has released new data showing which social media platforms carried the most online gambling content flagged for removal this year. Facebook led the list by a wide margin.
Fahmi Fadzil, the country’s communications minister, said Facebook made up 78% of online gambling content identified for removal between January 1 and August 17. That means more than 3 out of every 4 flagged posts came from the platform.
YouTube came in second place with 18% of the flagged gambling content. TikTok trailed further behind with just 4%.
The figures come from the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, known as MCMC. The agency tracks harmful and illegal online content and requests its removal from platforms.
More Than 470,000 Removal Requests
MCMC requested the removal of 470,593 pieces of harmful or criminal content during the period. Online service providers accepted 93% of these requests.
That resulted in 436,661 pieces of content being taken down. Online gambling made up 64% of all removal requests filed by the regulator.
Scams accounted for another 27% of the requests. Combined, gambling and scam content made up 91% of everything MCMC asked platforms to remove.
Minister Calls For Platforms To Act On Their Own
Fahmi criticized platforms for relying too heavily on outside reports before removing harmful content. He said companies should build systems that catch rule violations without waiting for