Malaysia has issued more than 50,000 takedown requests to social media platforms over false and misleading content in recent years, the Dewan Negara heard today.
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia has issued more than 50,000 takedown requests to social media platforms over false and misleading content in recent years, the Dewan Negara heard today, as the government moves to tighten online safety obligations across major platforms.
Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching, responding to Senator Datuk Setia Salehuddin Saidin, said the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has been actively monitoring social media and escalating removal demands to curb misinformation.
“From January 1, 2022 until 30 November this year, MCMC has submitted 58,268 requests for the removal of false content to platform service providers, and of that number, 49,810 pieces of content, or 85%, were successfully removed,” she said.
She said takedowns were carried out based on complaints, platform community guidelines and existing laws, with continuous monitoring allowing early intervention against false information and politically motivated propaganda driven by social media algorithms.
Teo said the government is also focusing on strengthening fact-checking through the sebenarnya.my portal and the Artificial Intelligence Fact Check Assistant (AIFA) chatbot launched on January 28, 2025.
She added that stronger legal consequences now apply to fraudulent misinformation.
“In line with amendments to Section 233(1) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, false content disseminated with intent to commit fraud or deception constitutes an offence punishable by a fine not exceeding RM500,000 or imprisonment not exceeding two years or both, and an additional RM5,000 per day for continued offences,” she said.
She said further enforcement will come under the amended Online Safety Act 2025, which requires licensed application service providers, content application service providers and network service providers to regulate harmful content and prepare online safety plans demonstrating compliance under Act 866.
Salehuddin, in a supplementary question, asked whether the government was taking sufficiently serious steps to counter political misinformation and false accusations aimed at the administration.
Teo said such content often falls under the decision-making of platforms.
“They will review the content to decide whether it violates their guidelines. There are 15% of cases where we are not successful, because platforms sometimes say it is freedom of speech,” she said.
She added the government respects the public’s right to criticise, but action is taken when claims are clearly fabricated, citing an example of the false allegation that the Prime Minister was “chased away” in Sabah.
A second follow-up from Senator Datuk Hj Abdul Halim Hj Suleiman raised concerns about deepfakes, fraudulent advertisements and harmful AI-generated images that continue appearing despite attempts to remove them.
Teo said such cases have increased sharply.
“For the past two years, from January 1, 2024 until November 30 this year, the amount of deepfake content we removed is 2,783. Content involving bullying and harassment using AI is 579,” she said.
She added that MCMC relies on technical verification from agencies such as the Health Ministry when determining illegal products, and platforms are instructed to remove and block such items once confirmed.
