The government is turning to artificial intelligence (AI), tighter regulations and public awareness initiatives to combat the growing spread of fake news, disinformation and misinformation online.
PETALING JAYA: The government is turning to artificial intelligence (AI), tighter regulations and public awareness initiatives to combat the growing spread of fake news, disinformation and misinformation online.
The Communications Ministry said the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has adopted a comprehensive approach involving enforcement action, cooperation with digital platform providers, the adoption of technology and efforts to improve digital literacy among Malaysians.
“Under the Online Safety Act 2025 (Act 866), licensed service providers are required to take action against harmful content within the prescribed timeframe,” the ministry said in a parliamentary reply.
It said high-priority content, including financial scam-related material, must be made inaccessible within 24 hours to allow for assessment, verification and further action.
Between Jan 1, 2022, and May 31, 2026, MCMC submitted 63,215 requests to service providers to remove false content, with 54,626 pieces of content, or 86%, successfully taken down.
“For the period between Jan 1 and May 31, 2026, five requests involving financial fraud-related content were submitted under Act 866, and all were successfully removed,” it said.
The ministry added that MCMC has strengthened fact-checking efforts through Sebenarnya.my, the national fact-checking portal, which published 1,016 articles between Jan 1, 2022, and May 31, 2026.
It also highlighted the role of AI in improving public access to fact-checking services through the Artificial Intelligence Fact-check Assistant (AIFA) chatbot, launched on Jan 28, 2025.
“AIFA utilises artificial intelligence technology to enable the public to verify the authenticity of information more quickly and easily,” the ministry said.
As of May 31, 2026, AIFA had processed 197,403 messages, averaging 404 messages per day.
The government has also continued its preventive efforts through the Safe Internet Campaign, which encourages users to verify information before sharing it online.
“As of June 15, 2026, the campaign had been implemented in 10,291 schools and higher education institutions, while 1,938 programmes for the general public had recorded participation from 2,136,941 people nationwide,” it said.
The ministry said the combination of enforcement measures, strategic cooperation with online platforms, technological innovation and digital literacy programmes would help ensure a safer digital environment.
“Through this approach, the government remains committed to ensuring that the spread of fake news, disinformation and misinformation is curbed more effectively for the safety and well-being of the country’s digital ecosystem,” it added.
