KUALA LUMPUR: Bukit Aman has denied allegations that the police were linked to a troll farm on Facebook and Instagram which used fake accounts to skew public opinion.
It is currently gathering more details on the claims documented in Meta Platforms Incorporated's security report.
Federal police secretary Datuk Noorsiah Mohd Saaduddin said it took Meta's allegations on links between fake accounts and the police seriously.
"The Royal Malaysian Police denies the allegations in question and is in the midst of gathering further details on it," she said in a statement late yesterday evening.
The NST reported that the force has come under scrutiny after the social media conglomerate said it removed more than 600 Facebook and Instagram accounts from Malaysia for being part of a "troll farm" aimed at corrupting and manipulating public discourse via fake accounts.
Its Quarterly Adversarial Threat Report also disclosed that the accounts removed for violating their policy against Coordinated Inauthentic Behaviour (CIB) were found to have links with the police.
A total 596 accounts, 180 Pages and 11 Groups were removed from Facebook while 72 accounts were taken down from Instagram for being part of the network.
The report claimed the network originated in Malaysia and targeted domestic audiences in the 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."
The troll farm also managed pages on Facebook and "independent news entities" that promoted the police while criticising the opposition.
According to the report, around US$6,000 (RM26,739) was spent for advertisements on Facebook and Instagram, paid for primarily in ringgit.