PUTRAJAYA: The Communications Ministry and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), along with several other agencies, will hold a meeting with Meta Platforms (Facebook's parent company) on Monday (April 8) to discuss online safety aspects.

       Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said among the issues to be raised in the meeting are actions by certain parties abusing Meta platforms such as Facebook to distort facts and spread fake news.

       "Since yesterday, my ministry has found a series of arranged messages, coordinated messaging operation, an action initiated by several figures, several parties, especially on Facebook, making shallow and malicious accusations, alleging that this year there is no national or international-level Quran Recitation Assembly.

       "I have instructed the MCMC to investigate and identify all involved in this influence operation and we will take appropriate and firm action since there are certain parties trying to distort facts which are actually very easy for us to verify.

       "...just by searching on Google, we can get that information," he said at a press conference after the Cabinet meeting here Wednesday (April 3).

       Furthermore, Fahmi said they will also raise the issue of underage children below 13 years old opening social media accounts on certain platforms.

       "Children under the age of 13 should not and cannot have accounts on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, X, TikTok, and so on, but all platforms currently do not provide strict mechanisms to prevent children from opening accounts on these platforms.

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       "This is one of the topics or agendas in the discussions to be held," he said.

       According to Fahmi, if Meta refuses to cooperate, the ministry will take several actions against the platform provider and colluding parties. - Bernama