FIA Establishes Direct Channel with Meta to Fast-Track Cybercrime Investigations

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has established a direct communication channel with Meta Asia Pacific (APAC) to speed up investigations into organised cybercrime, online fraud, hate speech and other digital offences.

Under the new arrangement, Meta has officially recognised the FIA’s Single Point of Contact (SPOC) at the National Command and Control Centre (NC3), enabling secure and lawful coordination for data requests related to Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp accounts.

Previously, the FIA relied on Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties (MLATs) or Interpol channels to obtain information from Meta, a process that often took months. Officials said the new mechanism is expected to reduce response times to just a few days, with all lawful requests now being processed exclusively through the NC3.

The channel will facilitate preservation requests, subscriber information, account registration details, login IP history, content removal requests and emergency data disclosures. Under the procedure, investigating officers will prepare case files with the required legal documents and Meta account details before forwarding them through the FIA’s designated SPOC for submission to Meta APAC.

An FIA official said routing all requests through a single authorised channel would improve accountability, maintain a clear audit trail and ensure faster processing. FIA Director General Dr Usman Anwar said the arrangement would significantly strengthen the agency’s ability to respond swiftly to time-sensitive cases, particularly those involving terrorism and child exploitation. – ERMD

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