Foreign AI election interference claims under Online Safety Act probe, ministry tells Parliament

The Malaysian government plans to utilize existing cyber safety laws to address an alleged AI-driven influence campaign targeting the nation's electorate, while it also works on drafting an AI Governance Bill to oversee developers.

The Communications Ministry, in response to a parliamentary inquiry, confirmed that the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) is seriously investigating these allegations against Anthropic's Claude, with the help of various enforcement statutes.

The controversy began with a report linking a Turkish firm to creating covert political influence campaigns through synthetic networks.

The ministry has not clarified Anthropic's response or detailed next steps regarding international accountability.

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 4 — The federal government will deploy existing communications and cyber safety laws to counter an alleged foreign-linked artificial intelligence influence campaign targeting Malaysian electorates, while drafting a dedicated AI Governance Bill to establish regulatory oversight over developers, the Communications Ministry told Parliament.

The ministry disclosed this in a written parliamentary reply yesterday to Pasir Mas MP Tuan Haji Ahmad Fadhli Shaari, who questioned what steps the government would take to investigate foreign election meddling conducted through generative AI platforms, including Claude.

The ministry confirmed that the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) is treating the allegations seriously and has sought detailed technical clarification and supporting evidence from Anthropic, the US-based creator of Claude, to ensure any regulatory assessment is grounded in empirical findings.

Enforcement action will be pursued under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 alongside the Online Safety Act 2025 and related statutes under MCMC's purview. The regulatory agency will coordinate with federal security bodies, criminal investigators, and social media platform providers where necessary.

In tandem with current enforcement tools, the Digital Ministry is drafting a standalone AI Governance Bill designed to codify corporate accountability, risk mitigation requirements, and developer liabilities across the artificial intelligence life cycle, though the reply offered no firm timeline for its introduction in Parliament.

The controversy originated from a threat intelligence report published in September by Anthropic, which revealed that a commercial actor had leveraged Claude to develop core components of a covert political influence campaign.

Anthropic attributed the activity to BBS Bilisim Teknolojileri, a technology firm based in Istanbul, noting that the operation attempted to construct synthetic persona networks, automated bot accounts, and bespoke propaganda websites.

The operation reportedly harvested demographic census records and voter data to profile electorates across all 222 federal parliamentary constituencies.

While the Turkish company denied involvement on September 11, Anthropic confirmed it had shuttered the offending accounts and noted that the campaign showed no evidence of gaining meaningful organic traction among genuine users.

Following the disclosures, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said urged authorities to mount a comprehensive and independent investigation.

However, the ministry did not disclose whether Anthropic has responded to MCMC's queries, whether police have registered a formal criminal investigation, or how existing domestic statutes can effectively hold offshore technology operators and foreign-based software firms accountable beyond Malaysian borders.

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马来西亚政府计划利用现有的网络安全法律来应对据称针对该国选民的人工智能驱动的影响活动，同时还在起草人工智能治理法案，以监管开发者。

通讯部在回应议会质询时证实，马来西亚通讯及多媒体委员会（MCMC）正在借助各种执法法规，认真调查针对人道组织创始人克劳德的这些指控。

这场争议始于一份报告，该报告将一家土耳其公司与通过合成网络开展秘密政治影响力活动联系起来。

该部委尚未澄清人道组织的回应，也没有详细说明在国际问责方面接下来的步骤。

吉隆坡，11月4日讯——马来西亚通信部向国会表示，联邦政府将利用现有的通信和网络安全法律，打击据称与外国有关的、针对马来西亚选民的人工智能影响活动，同时起草一份专门的人工智能治理法案，以建立对开发者的监管。

该部昨天在给巴西马国会议员端哈吉·艾哈迈德·法德利·沙里（Tuan Haji Ahmad Fadhli Shaari）的书面国会答复中披露了这一消息。端哈吉·艾哈迈德·法德利·沙里质疑政府将采取哪些措施来调查通过生成式人工智能平台（包括 Claude）进行的外国干预选举的行为。

该部证实，马来西亚通讯及多媒体委员会（MCMC）正在认真对待这些指控，并已向 Claude 的美国制造商 Anthropic 寻求详细的技术澄清和佐证，以确保任何监管评估都以实证研究为基础。

执法行动将依据1998年《通信和多媒体法》以及2025年《网络安全法》和加拿大通信和多媒体委员会（MCMC）管辖范围内的相关法规进行。必要时，监管机构将与联邦安全机构、刑事调查人员和社交媒体平台提供商进行协调。

除了现有的执法工具外，数字部正在起草一份独立的《人工智能治理法案》，旨在规范人工智能生命周期中的企业责任、风险缓解要求和开发者责任，但答复中并未给出向议会提交该法案的确切时间表。

这场争议源于 Anthropic 公司 9 月份发布的一份威胁情报报告，该报告揭露了一家商业机构利用 Claude 开发了一项秘密政治影响力活动的核心组件。

Anthropic 将此次活动归咎于位于伊斯坦布尔的科技公司 BBS Bilisim Teknolojileri，并指出该行动试图构建合成身份网络、自动化机器人帐户和定制宣传网站。

据报道，该行动收集了人口普查记录和选民数据，以分析所有 222 个联邦议会选区的选民情况。

虽然这家土耳其公司在 9 月 11 日否认参与其中，但 Anthropic 证实已关闭了违规账户，并指出该活动没有证据表明在真实用户中获得有意义的自然流量。

消息披露后，首相署（法律及体制改革）部长拿督斯里阿扎丽娜·奥斯曼·赛义德敦促当局展开全面独立的调查。

然而，该部并未透露 Anthropic 是否已回应 MCMC 的询问，警方是否已立案进行正式刑事调查，以及现有的国内法规如何能有效追究境外技术运营商和外国软件公司在马来西亚境外的责任。

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