A Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) must be established to investigate allegations of the police attempting to manipulate public discourse by setting up a “troll farm”, said Muar MP Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman.
In a Facebook post today, he questioned the police’s next course of action now they have denied these allegations.
“Even though the Royal Malaysian Police has denied Meta’s report, what is their next course of action? This is authentic data from (Facebook parent company) Meta. Don’t turn the police into a political tool.
“The police are meant to protect the rakyat, not demonise them. We don’t need another J-KOM (Community Communications Department). This is a serious issue because it (troll farm) is not a function of the police,” Syed Saddiq (above) said.
Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, revealed in a report on Aug 4 that it removed hundreds of Facebook and Instagram accounts, pages, and groups which are part of a troll farm aimed at social media users in Malaysia.
A troll farm is typically an outfit that funds online accounts to heckle or spread information according to their employer’s bidding.
In its investigation, Meta linked the Royal Malaysian Police to the troll farm.
In his post, Syed Saddiq raised questions about the troll farm and its links to the police force.
“For a long time I have been thinking, what is the purpose of these troll accounts?
“Can these accounts maintain order and public safety? If they do not, then why do the police need these troll accounts?
“I have seen Macau scams, LHDN scams, fake calls allegedly from the courts.
“What’s more concerning is, where is the budget for these troll accounts coming from?” he asked.
‘Malaysian troll farm promoted police, criticised opposition’
Meta said its report provides insight into threats the social media giant has tackled globally, including in Malaysia, Russia, Israel, Pakistan, India, South Africa, Greece, and the Philippines.
It added that it removed three networks engaged in Coordinated Inauthentic Behaviour (CIB) operations.
They included one network linked to a PR firm in Israel, and two separate troll farms - one in Malaysia targeting domestic audiences and one in Russia targeting global discourse about the war in Ukraine.
“In Malaysia, we removed 596 Facebook accounts, 180 pages, 11 groups, and 72 Instagram accounts for violating our policy against CIB. This network originated in Malaysia and targeted domestic audiences in that country.
“The individuals behind it ran a troll farm - a coordinated effort by co-located operators to corrupt or manipulate public discourse by using fake accounts and misleading people about who is behind them.
“They were active across the internet, including Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, and Instagram, and posted memes in Malay in support of the current government coalition, with claims of corruption among its critics,” read the Meta report.
“On Facebook, this network managed pages, including those posing as independent news entities, and promoted police while criticising the opposition.
“We found this network after reviewing information about a small portion of this activity initially suspected to have originated in China by researchers at Clemson University.
“Although the people behind it attempted to conceal their identity and coordination, our investigation found links to the Royal Malaysian Police,” read the report.
According to the report, the Malaysian troll farm had Facebook pages followed by about 427,000 accounts, groups followed by some 4,000 accounts, and about 15,000 followers on Instagram.
“Around US$6,000 (about RM26,741) was spent for advertisement on Facebook and Instagram.”
The police have denied Meta’s claim, adding they viewed the allegation seriously and are getting more information about the matter. - Mkini
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