713 deepfakes of political leaders taken offline

Between January 1, 2025 and September 15 this year, the Malaysian Communications Ministry (MCMC) removed a total of 713 deepfake and image-manipulation content featuring political party leaders, following complaints, service provider breaches, community guideline violations, and local law offenses. The misuse of artificial intelligence technology, such as deepfakes, scams, and identity forgery, is addressed according to the severity of the offense and the jurisdiction of the relevant ministry or enforcement agency.

For content with obscene, indecent, false, threatening, highly offensive, or harmful elements, the Multimedia Communications Authority (MCMC) may enforce action under the Communications and Multimedia Act or the Online Safety Act. MCMC's takedown requests are based on the law, offense elements, and facts and evidence, irrespective of the political affiliation, position, or background of the involved individuals.

Prosecution cases are referred to the Attorney-General's Chambers for assessment, while trial cases must obtain written consent from the public prosecutor. Court cases are subjected to judicial proceedings, providing the accused the opportunity to defend themselves before a decision is made. The MCMC has safeguards in place to ensure fair and independent action, and parties dissatisfied with MCMC's decisions can appeal to the Appeal Tribunal established under both Acts for review before seeking a higher court's intervention.