PUTRAJAYA: The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has identified more than 40 Facebook accounts and nearly 10 TikTok accounts involved in spreading suspected racially charged content in the past 24 hours.
Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said a video with the same narrative has been circulating, reportedly showing an incident between Indian and Malay individuals with content dubbed as coordinated inauthentic behaviour (CIB).
"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.
"Nearly all of these posts used the same video and wording. Investigations into the spread of this content are ongoing, and any attempt to fuel racial tension will not be tolerated," he said.
Fahmi, who is also the Madani government spokesperson, told reporters this at a press conference following Friday's (Feb 13) Cabinet meeting here.
On Thursday, police confirmed that the viral video of a four-wheel drive hitting a motorcyclist in Kampung Sungai Jernih, Kajang, contained no gangster or racial elements.
Selangor police chief Datuk Shazeli Kahar said preliminary investigations indicate the incident stemmed from a personal dispute over land and lorry access in the area.
Images claiming a threat had been made were tagged with the 16-second video, which had gone viral on social media.
In a separate development, Fahmi said MCMC identified 19 suspected fake accounts that spread inappropriate content during a live broadcast of a Parliamentary sitting.
"Of the 19 accounts, two have been confirmed as fake, while investigations continue into the remaining 17," he said, citing a local English-language newspaper report from last Sunday that said the live broadcast had become a hub for hate speech and misinformation, calling for proactive action. - Bernama
