KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 12 — The government does not intend to take any action against news portal Malaysiakini over a report that alleged fake accounts were set up to boost Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s popularity, Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching told Dewan Rakyat today.
Teo’s ministry had previously dismissed the report, citing Meta’s response that it found no “abnormal activity” to suggest there was a campaign to artificially bolster Anwar‘s approval rating.
Meta is the company that operates popular social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.
The deputy communications minister said today that the government will continue to respect press freedom even if it disagrees with some media reports that are critical of the ruling coalition.
“While Meta did admit the existence of fake accounts, they are mostly used to promote scams. In this case, Meta said it found no abnormal activity, so I think we should accept this fact,” Teo said in reply to a question from Tanah Merah MP Ahmad Fadhli Shaari (PAS).
“And the Madani government’s position, as repeatedly pointed out by PMX, is that we respect media freedom. Even if we disagree with some media reports, we will still state our disagreement, but this doesn’t mean we need to summon them to record statements,” the Kulai DAP MP added.
Malaysiakini had alleged that hundreds of accounts were involved in “coordinated inauthentic behaviour” (CIB) linked to Anwar‘s Facebook page.
Meta denied the allegation shortly after, but the news portal said it stood by the report.
CIB typically involves an organised effort by multiple fake or deceptive online accounts, often controlled by the same actors, to mislead people by pretending to be genuine individuals or entities.
These accounts work together in a coordinated way to amplify certain messages, manipulate public opinion, spread disinformation, or push political and social agendas.
