PETALING JAYA: Meta Platforms Inc’s decision to remove its fact-checking initiative in the United States has sparked concern among political and cybersecurity experts over the spread of disinformation and polarisation in Malaysia, especially during elections.
KRA Group director of strategy Amir Fareed Rahim highlighted the World Economic Forum’s Global Risk Report 2025, which identifies misinformation and disinformation as top short-term threats.
“If social media platforms won’t proactively address fake news, everyone must be more vigilant.
“Mainstream media can play a bigger role in fact-checking and debunking fake news,” he said yesterday.
The Star, for example, has its QuickCheck and True or Not sections that debunk fake news and viral content.
Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil acknowledged Meta’s move on Jan 8.
The firm is also in the final stages of securing an Application Service Provider (ASP) Class Licence in Malaysia.
Amir Fareed said that incorrect stories were spread across multiple countries and regions during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“However, it must also be acknowledged that even the best and most stringent social media fact-checking will not help in countries where trust in public institutions is or has been damaged, or where social polarisation has been allowed to fester.
“Ultimately, the responsibility to maintain social cohesion and credibility rests with governments and institutions.
“The task will get more difficult, but it is still fundamentally their responsibility,” Amir Fareed said, adding that misinformation could be prevalent in the upcoming Sabah and Melaka state elections this year.
Fong Choong Fook, the executive chairman of cybersecurity consulting company LGMS Bhd, said Malaysia perhaps needs a fraud verification unit to combat online scams, which he views as a more critical issue compared with political misinformation in the United States.
“Social media platforms aren’t doing enough to protect users from false advertising on Facebook and other platforms that are used by scammers.
“Users must be wary, especially when AI (artificial intelligence) is now being used to generate false advertising,” said Fong.
He added that disinformation is a global trend, considering that most users rely on the convenience of social media.
This has also led to users easily believing that whatever is posted online is true, which has also conditioned them to trust content without verification.
While there are concerns that Meta’s move could affect the upcoming Sabah election this year, political pundit Dr Tunku Mohar Tunku Mohd Mokhtar of International Islamic University Malaysia said the social media giant’s decision to remove its fact-checking unit would not affect Malaysia that much.
He said that during elections, disinformation often becomes a campaign strategy, as seen in Sabah in the past.
“The danger is when such disinformation spreads, gullible people would believe it, and it is difficult to rectify the situation,” he added.
Tunku Mohar said Facebook and other social media platforms are “democratic” in the sense that people are free to air their views without much restriction.
He said social media platforms provided “credibility” even to unverified news.
In Malaysia’s context, he said fact-checking mechanisms can exist outside of social media platforms to help users verify the truth.
“The government can rely on existing laws, but by the time the due process is completed, the damage is already done.
“In that sense, social media platforms should also be proactively involved to ensure that their platforms aren’t used for ‘black propaganda’,” he added.
