Expedite probe into police link to troll farms, Guan Eng urges IGP
Bagan MP Lim Guan Eng has urged Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani to expedite investigations into the police force’s alleged link to troll farms in order to uphold their integrity.
This is after Meta, the owner of social media platforms Facebook and Instagram, revealed in a report that it deactivated several hundred accounts and pages linked to the Royal Malaysian Police for spreading misinformation.
“The IGP should...
Bagan MP Lim Guan Eng has urged Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani to expedite investigations into the police force’s alleged link to troll farms in order to uphold their integrity.
This is after Meta, the owner of social media platforms Facebook and Instagram, revealed in a report that it deactivated several hundred accounts and pages linked to the Royal Malaysian Police for spreading misinformation.
“The IGP should uphold and perform the police’s statutory duty to the nation as stated in Section 3(3) of the 1967 Police Act, and not be beholden to ruling politicians of the government.
“To defend the credibility and integrity of the police, the IGP should expedite investigations and make public the outcome of Meta’s grave and serious claims of the police force running troll farms that manufacture fake accounts to support the government and discredit government critics with false corruption claims,” Lim said in a statement today.
The DAP chairperson said that if Acryl Sani allows the force to drag its feet on this, he would be akin to other “political puppets” who covered up misdeeds for their political masters.
He added that the police’s brief denial and statement that it is obtaining more information on the matter are insufficient for such a grave allegation.
Police continue to keep mum
The police have not provided further updates despite multiple requests by reporters since the Meta report was published on Aug 5.
Earlier, Iskandar Puteri MP Lim Kit Siang urged for a public inquiry headed by a judge on Meta’s troll farm findings.
A troll farm is an institutionalised group of internet trolls that seeks to interfere in political opinions and decision-making.
Among others, Meta said in a report that it removed 596 Facebook accounts, 180 pages, 11 groups and 11 Instagram accounts linked to the police.
It said the accounts amassed 427,000 followers on one or more Facebook pages, with around US$6,000 (approximately RM27,000) spent on advertising on the social media platforms to attract an audience.
It said the troll network originated in Malaysia and targeted a domestic audience “to corrupt or manipulate public discourse by using fake accounts and misleading people about who is behind them”.
This includes posting memes in Malay “in support of the current government coalition, with claims of corruption among its critics,” Meta said.
“Although the people behind it attempted to conceal their identity and coordination, our investigation found links to the Royal Malaysian Police,” it added.
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