META Platforms Inc, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, reported there has been a sharp increase in the amount of restricted online content in Malaysia from last year to this year.

Its transparency centre showed the number of restricted items found online rose from 536 in 2022 to 8,580 in 2023 — a 16-fold increase in just one year.

In the first half of 2023, there were 3,100 restricted items, while in the months from July to December, there were an additional 5,480 items.

Separately, social media providers also reported large increases in restricted content on their sites.

In 2023, Facebook reported a total of 3,250 restricted posts, 1,900 comments, 1,832 pages and groups, two albums, and 690 profiles in Malaysia.

On Instagram, Meta’s data revealed that 660 accounts and 282 media items were declared restricted during the same period.

In its change log update for the period of July to December 2023, Meta found 4,700 restricted items comprising illegal gambling content, scams, posts on regulated goods, offensive 3R (race, religion and royalty) comments and cyber bullying.

The company said content is categorised as restricted in response to reports by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).

“We have also restricted access in Malaysia to over 470 items reported by government agencies such as the Health Ministry and commercial crime investigation department for alleged violation of local laws related to regulated goods, as well as fraud and scams,” Meta said.

“The remaining items were declared restricted for alleged violations of other local laws.”

MCMC has been working with social media providers such as Meta and TikTok to boost their monitoring efforts in response to a surge in harmful content.

Earlier this year, the commission reported a notable increase in harmful content circulating on social media and over-the-top platforms, reaching 51,638 cases in the first three months alone. — TMR / pic TMR FILE