KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) is seeking further information and clarification from US artificial intelligence (AI) company Anthropic over a report alleging an election manipulation operation targeting users in Malaysia.
Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil (pic) said MCMC will decide on the appropriate follow-up action based on the information and evidence obtained.
"This is (within) MCMC’s jurisdiction and in line with the relevant legal provisions, including cooperation with enforcement agencies, security agencies, platform providers and relevant parties," he said in a written parliamentary reply on Tuesday (Nov 3).
Ahmad Fadhli Shaari (PN-Pasir Mas) wanted to know what measures were taken to curb foreign entities interfering in and manipulating Malaysia's elections through the Claude platform and other AI applications, following a report by Anthropic.
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Fahmi said any regulatory and enforcement action by MCMC will be carried out in line with the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, the Online Safety Act 2025 and other applicable laws.
It was reported that Anthropic’s report, titled "Detecting and Countering Misuse of AI: September 2026", detailed an alleged operation that had used actual census data and millions of voter records to target Malaysia’s most sensitive political and social fault lines, including race, religion and the royal institution, across all 222 parliamentary constituencies.
The report said Anthropic exposed the operation after finding that an account had used its platform to manipulate elections and target Malaysian users.
ALSO READ: ‘Probe AI-driven voter data use’
Meanwhile, Fahmi said the government, through the Digital Ministry, is drafting an Artificial Intelligence Governance Bill to strengthen the country's AI governance framework, including aspects of accountability, risk management and the responsibilities of parties developing and implementing AI systems.
"The government will continue to strengthen monitoring of the risks of AI technology misuse and cooperation with technology providers, digital platforms and relevant agencies to address online harms and ensure that the country's digital environment remains safe, transparent and trusted," he said.
