Three-day Police silence after a weak and unconvincing denial is as good as admission of guilt of running a troll farm in a digital age where there is a new culture and ecosystem based on speed
The three-day police silence after a weak and unconvincing denial is as good as an admission of guilt of running a troll farm in a digital age where there is a new culture and ecosystem based on speed.
The media giant Meta had implicated the Malaysian Police in attempts to manipulate public discourse by setting up a “troll farm”.
Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, has alleged in its Quarterly Adversarial Threat Report that it had removed hundreds of Facebook and Instagram accounts, pages and groups which are part of a troll farm operated by the Police aimed at social media users in Malaysia
Meta removed 596 Facebook accounts, 180 pages, 11 groups and 72 Instagram accounts targeted domestic audiences in Malaysia.
The Meta Report said:
“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.
“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.”
A more satisfactory and convincing response to the serious Meta allegations must come from the Police or the Government, and Malaysians expect corrective action to ensure that the government and public agencies do not abuse their powers by spreading fake news and false allegations on the social media.