Malaysia says major social media platforms must apply for regulatory licenses by January 1 to curb widespread online fraud, cyberbullying and the sharing of sexual and pedophilic content.

But open internet advocates have warned that the plan also risks giving the state too much control over the digital space.

Rafael Frankel, Meta’s director of public policy for Southeast Asia, said this week that his company had so far rejected the plan outright, saying Malaysia “does not need a licensing regime to take online security seriously.”

In an interview with Reuters, Frankel argued that the proposal lacked clear guidelines and required years for social companies to be established, rather than the few months given by Malaysia.

He warned that the timeframe also poses a risk to Malaysia’s digital ambitions as hasty legislation “could inadvertently limit innovation and digital economic growth”.

But Malaysian Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil hit back late Thursday and took a few jabs at Meta, accusing him of “giving fraudsters and pedophiles more time” and telling them to “move on.”

“We have received reports from the public about the existence of Facebook groups for pedophiles, some with hundreds, some with tens of thousands of members,” the minister said on Thursday, adding that some had been operating for years without being closed.