Eightfold surge in deepfakes: Deputy communications minister reveals scale of Malaysia’s AI war

KUALA LUMPUR, June 30 — More than 11,600 items of false or deepfake content have been taken down from nearly 12,500 complaints related to AI misuse received by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) since 2024, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.

Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching said the deepfake content was removed following takedown requests submitted by MCMC to social media platform providers.

She revealed that complaints over deepfake content have surged more than eightfold over the period, from 917 in 2024 to 3,612 in 2025, and 7,967 as of June 15 this year.

To curb the growing misuse of AI, Teo said the government, through the Risk Mitigation Code (RMC) under the Online Safety Act 2025, now requires licensed social media platforms to put in place risk mitigation measures, including those targeting AI-generated content.

“The MCMC has engaged with these licensed platform providers to assess how they are meeting these obligations,” she said during Minister’s Question Time in Parliament.

Teo was responding to a supplementary question from Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob (BN-Bera) regarding the latest number of AI misuse cases that have been acted upon by the Ministry of Communications.

She added that the MCMC also supports enforcement agency investigations by providing technical assistance, including profiling information and digital forensic analysis, while carrying out proactive monitoring of social media for AI-generated content.

On the issue of social media platforms allegedly allowing scam-related advertisements to run, Teo said licensed platforms are now required to verify advertiser identities, including through agencies such as the Companies Commission of Malaysia, to prevent fake accounts from being used for fraudulent activities.

Meanwhile, in reply to a supplementary question from Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman (Muda–Muar), she said platforms that fail to meet their obligations under the RMC can be prosecuted in court and, if convicted, face a fine of up to RM1 million, along with additional financial penalties of up to RM10 million. — Bernama