Kuala lumpur: With the Online Safety Act 2025 now in force in Malaysia, discussions are continuing on how best to curb hate speech, divisive rhetoric, and misinformation on social media platforms. Adding urgency to the debate are the upcoming state elections in Johor and Negeri Sembilan, periods usually marked by an increase in politically-driven negative content and fake news on social media.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Dr. Nazirul Hazim A Khalim, a lecturer at Monash University-Malaysia, highlighted at the Harmony Symposium that social media users often prioritize reach and engagement over authenticity and reliability when sharing posts. Their research, which observed elections in the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia, underscored that users generally disregard the source of the information they disseminate.

The amplification effect of social media platforms complicates efforts to curtail the spread of negative and outrage-inducing content while safeguarding civil liberties and free speech. This is a challenge that policymakers and experts continue to navigate.

Dr. Nuurrianti Jalli, a visiting fellow at Singapore's ISEAS Yusuf Ishak Institute, conducted research on TikTok posts during Malaysia's 15th General Election in 2022. Her findings showed that 55 percent of 679 videos with over 1,000 views contained hate speech, with 79 percent targeting non-Muslims and non-Malays. She cautioned in a paper presented at a conference by the Indonesian Centre for Strategic and International Studies that the evolution of communication technologies, particularly generative AI, could lead to more sophisticated strategies by propagandists and cybertroopers in future elections.