Malaysia’s communications regulator identifies more than 50 Facebook and TikTok accounts spreading racially charged coordinated inauthentic behaviour.
PUTRAJAYA: The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission has identified more than 50 social media accounts involved in spreading racially charged coordinated inauthentic behaviour.
Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said over 40 Facebook accounts and nearly 10 TikTok accounts were involved over the past 24 hours. He said a video with the same narrative has been circulating, reportedly showing an incident between Indian and Malay individuals.
“It was found that over the past 24 hours, a news story went viral, originally claiming that an Indian gangster had attacked a Malay landowner, with subtle racial undertones added,” Fahmi told a press conference.
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He stated that nearly all of these posts used the same video and wording. Investigations into the spread of this content are ongoing.
“Any attempt to fuel racial tension will not be tolerated,” said Fahmi, who is also the MADANI Government spokesperson.
Police have since confirmed the viral video had no gangster or racial elements. Selangor police chief Datuk Shazeli Kahar said the incident in Kampung Sungai Jernih, Kajang, stemmed from a personal dispute over land and lorry access.
In a separate development, Fahmi said MCMC identified 19 suspected fake accounts that spread inappropriate content during a live broadcast of a Parliamentary sitting. He cited a local English-language newspaper report from Feb 8 that said the live broadcast had become a hub for hate speech and misinformation.
“Of the 19 accounts, two have been confirmed as fake, while investigations continue into the remaining 17,” he said.
