Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission would examine possible measures against the Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp owner if it continued to fall short in removing fake royal accounts and scam-linked material. Legal proceedings remained a last resort, he said, but the government was “already close” to that option after repeated warnings.
The issue has gained urgency because the accounts involve the Malay Rulers, whose position is protected under the Federal Constitution and remains central to Malaysia’s federal monarchy. Fahmi said Meta had been summoned as many fake profiles were found on Facebook, though similar abuses also appeared on TikTok and Instagram. His criticism was unusually direct, accusing the Facebook team of failing to understand the sensitivity of royal impersonation in Malaysia’s constitutional order.
MCMC monitoring and public complaints identified 15,296 fake accounts using the identities of 26 royal family members between January and April 2026. A post by Fahmi on May 8 said the impersonated figures included Selangor ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah and Tengku Permaisuri of Selangor Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin. The scale of the impersonation has placed pressure on regulators to show that Malaysia’s digital safety architecture can compel faster action from multinational platforms.
The controversy comes as Malaysia prepares fuller enforcement of the Online Safety Act, a law designed to move harmful content regulation beyond voluntary platform moderation. Fahmi said measures under consideration could be pursued through the Act once related codes are gazetted. Penalties may include fines of up to RM1 million, daily fines of RM100,000 for continued breaches, and heavier penalties reaching RM10 million depending on the offence.
The same enforcement push is targeting wider online criminal activity. More than 230,000 items of content across social media platforms were requested for takedown between January and early May, with more than 90 per cent linked to online gambling and scams. That figure shows how royal impersonation is part of a broader pattern in which fraud networks exploit public names, official-looking images and platform advertising tools to win user trust.
Malaysia’s regulatory posture has hardened since the licensing framework for large social media and internet messaging services came into force. Platforms with at least eight million users in the country are treated as subject to local obligations, including compliance with statutory provisions, licence conditions and regulatory directions. Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, operated by Meta, are among the services covered, alongside YouTube, Telegram and TikTok.
The government argues that the system is necessary because harmful online content has outpaced platform-led moderation. Its priorities include scams, cyberbullying, child exploitation material, illegal gambling and content touching on race, religion and royalty. The approach follows months of pressure on technology companies to improve takedown times, cooperate with investigators and adopt stronger age-verification and safety mechanisms.
Meta has previously pushed back against Malaysia’s licensing drive, saying the rules lacked clarity and that the accelerated timetable could affect innovation and digital growth. The company has also said it works with authorities to address harmful content, but regulators have signalled that cooperation will no longer be judged only by dialogue; speed, compliance and demonstrable removal of abusive accounts are becoming the tests.
The dispute carries reputational risks for Meta in South-East Asia, where governments are demanding sharper responses to impersonation scams and fraudulent advertising. For platforms, such cases are difficult because fake profiles can be created quickly, replicated across networks and repurposed for financial scams before manual review teams intervene.
Putrajaya must also enforce online safety rules without appearing to impose broad control over political speech or legitimate commentary. The government has framed the case around impersonation and fraud rather than criticism of public institutions, a distinction that will matter because Malaysia’s royalty-related sensitivities can sit close to debate over governance, satire and public accountability.
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