KUALA LUMPUR – The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) is probing claims by artificial intelligence (AI) company Anthropic that a commercial political manipulation operation targeted Malaysia, saying the matter is being viewed seriously.
MCMC said it was aware of Anthropic’s recent report on the alleged misuse of AI for online political manipulation and was examining the findings.
“For clarity, activities of the nature described in the report do not form part of MCMC’s functions or mandate, and MCMC does not engage in such activities or arrangements,” it said in a statement.
The regulator said it would seek further information and clarification from relevant parties to establish the facts and assess the issues raised in the report.
“Based on the information and evidence available, MCMC will determine the next appropriate course of action within its remit, in coordination with the relevant authorities where necessary,” it said.
“Protecting the public and addressing online harms remain central to MCMC’s responsibilities. MCMC will continue to preserve and ensure a safe and trusted online environment for Malaysia.”
Anthropic, the company behind the Claude AI platform, said it had disrupted a commercial election manipulation operation that primarily targeted Malaysians through AI-generated content, fake social media accounts and voter profiling tools.
In its report titled “Detecting and Countering Misuse of AI: September 2026”, Anthropic said it identified an operation linked to an Istanbul-based technology company that marketed “influence-as-a-service” capabilities, CNA reported.
The company said the platform was presented as a defensive cyber intelligence and counter-disinformation tool, but its investigation uncovered links to BBS Bilisim Teknolojileri, which allegedly sold access to the system as a paid influence operation service.
“The platform posed as a defensive cyber intelligence and counter-disinformation tooling outlet,” Anthropic said.
“Nevertheless, our investigation uncovered clear links to BBS Bilisim Teknolojileri, an Istanbul-based technology company, which sold access to the platform as a paid influence-as-a-service capability.”
Anthropic said the operation used Claude AI models to develop a system capable of profiling and targeting Malaysian voters according to parliamentary constituencies.
The platform allegedly used real census and electoral data, as well as “millions of voter records”, to build profiles covering all 222 parliamentary constituencies.
According to the report, the system was designed to exploit sensitive political and social issues in Malaysia, including race, religion and the monarchy.
Anthropic said the operation managed more than 1,000 fake X accounts, with mechanisms designed to make them appear authentic before they were used for influence activities.
These included measures such as regularly changing cookies and IP addresses in attempts to avoid detection by social media platforms.
The AI company also alleged that the platform included tools capable of generating artificial engagement, including setting targets for fake views.
In one instance, Anthropic said it observed a request involving “the sitting Malaysian Prime Minister” seeking one million artificial views for an account.
However, the company stressed that it did not identify who made the request or establish any connection between the operation and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim or his office.
Anthropic also cautioned that engagement figures recorded by the platform were self-reported by the operator and could not be independently verified.
The operation allegedly extended beyond social media, with Anthropic claiming that it involved a fabricated news website called “Malaysia Pulse”.
The website reportedly used AI tools to scrape legitimate Malaysian news reports, rewrite them and publish the material under fake bylines.
Anthropic said the site also republished content from Chinese and Russian state-aligned outlets, including Xinhua, CGTN, Sputnik/RIA and TV BRICS.
The company said it detected and removed the Claude account involved in the operation after an internal investigation, while using the information gathered to map the wider network and disrupt similar misuse.
Anthropic said its findings covered activities it disrupted between December 2025 and August 2026, including cyber operations, influence campaigns, surveillance, scams and fraud.
The company did not disclose who commissioned the Malaysia-focused operation, whether it was linked to any election, or when exactly the activity took place. – September 11, 2026