PETALING JAYA: Social media users have been cautioned by the government against the use of threats or intimidation when conveying their disappointment over certain issues on these platforms.
Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil cited threats against the Alor Star High Court judge for his decision to revoke the Kedah state government’s “operational ban” imposed on gambling outlets.
According to the New Straits Times, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) managed to detect certain parties’ attempts to undermine the current administration by “exploiting” sensitive issues such as gambling, as quoted, through the use of ‘coordinated inauthentic behaviour’ (CIB).
CIB is said to be a communication strategy that is manipulative, combining fake, authentic and duplicated social media accounts to operate as an adversarial network in multiple social media platforms.
Fahmi pointed out that these parties are trying to confuse the public in ignoring the reasons of the judge’s decision, mainly concerning the relationship between the state government and the local authorities instead of the issue of halal or haram.
ALSO READ: Several ministries looking into tightening laws on cyberbullying - Fahmi
“However, there are also cyber troopers using fake accounts to threaten the judge who made that ruling.
“I caution them, we will find you. MCMC has the capability, and we will pursue those making criminal threats, including threats against judges,” he was quoted as saying.
On June 20, the Alor Star High Court judge had allowed a “judicial review application” to block the Kedah state government from banning licenced gaming operators from operating their businesses.
Opposing the decision, the state government instead filed a for a stay of execution pending an appeal at the Court of Appeal.
Fahmi also brought up how TikTok identified a trend where social media users try to repeat a word as much as 15,000 times, resulting in the trend picking up internationally.
ALSO READ: “Seems very small” - Fahmi expresses disappointment with RM100 fine for Esha’s cyberbully
An investigation found those involved in the trend attempted to manipulate the system through an unauthorised application.
Not only that, accounts identified in the investigation were said to be involved in CIB, planning to shift the public’s perception of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim online.
Fahmi added that the trend could be applied in “any situation”, as quoted.
