CYBERJAYA: WhatsApp users in the country can now play an active role in stopping the spread of fake news by using the new chatbot “Aifa” to verify text messages before forwarding them to others, says Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil.
He said the chatbot known as Aifa (Artificial Intelligence Fact-Check Assistant) can verify text messages in four languages: English, Bahasa Malaysia, Mandarin and Tamil.
“This chatbot on WhatsApp enables users to verify the messages they receive before they decide to forward them to others.
“We have among the fastest Internet speeds in South-East Asia, and fake news seems to spread more quickly.
“A few weeks ago, there was news that Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz was leaving Umno to join PKR, which was not true, but it went viral.
“Then, we had the one where Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh was alleged to be the daughter of the founder of YTL Corporation Bhd.
“Another was the fake news of 1.2 million Chinese citizens being in the country,” he said at the launch of Aifa at the Malaysian Multimedia and Communications Commission (MCMC) headquarters here yesterday.
Fahmi said Aifa would be able to verify if such text messages were true.
He added that the MCMC collaborated with strategic partners to develop and provide chatbot services on WhatsApp and the Sebenarnya.my portal.
Taking a spin: a MCMC staff member showing the aifa chatbot replies on Whatsapp.
“The chatbot initiative led by MCMC will serve as a platform to help users verify the accuracy of information spread through the application.
“Aifa would help the public quickly and easily verify and obtain accurate information, accelerate the response to false information online and strengthen the role of Sebenarnya.my in combating the spread of fake news in Malaysia,” he said.
Fahmi said Aifa uses algorithms and machine learning to match information with reliable sources, and then quickly provides users with accurate and verified information.
“Currently, Aifa only accepts input in text format. In the future, it will be capable of accepting input in various formats.
“From 2020 to Jan 27, 2025, a total of 25,114 fake news items have been removed.
“We found that lately, the situation has worsened whereby criminals are widely using fake news and deepfakes.
“The licensing of social media platforms is only a part of government initiatives. The King has agreed to the amendments to the MCMC Act to curb porn, cyberbullying and scams,” said the unity government spokesman.
According to the MCMC, the number of fake news items detected after fact-checking reached nearly 20,000 last year.
“In 2024, the MCMC requested the removal of 19,546 fake news items from various online platforms. Of that number, 17,245 pieces of content were removed after being verified as fake news by all the involved platforms.
“As of Monday, the MCMC has requested the removal of 1,575 fake news items. Of these, 1,233 fake news were removed by the relevant platforms,” said Fahmi.
On another matter, he said social media giant Meta has submitted its documents to secure an Application Service Provider (ASP) Class Licence in Malaysia, while discussions are still ongoing with Google and Microsoft.
“As of Monday, Meta has sent over several documents.
“We will process them – and we expect that within a reasonable timeframe, we will issue a licence to Meta.
“Regarding Google and Microsoft (which manages LinkedIn)... the MCMC is following up on several matters.
“Each party has its perspective, and we need to take action. We will not delay taking the necessary steps for too long,” said Fahmi.Google had previously argued that it is not a social media platform, but the ministry maintains that certain parts of its YouTube platform, such as YouTube Shorts, function like social media, similar to TikTok.
Meanwhile, X – formerly Twitter – had claimed to have fewer than eight million users in Malaysia, which exempts it from the licensing requirement.
As of today, WeChat, TikTok, and Telegram have received their licences.
The newly introduced regulatory requirement aims to tackle rising cybercrime, requiring social media platforms and messaging services with over eight million users in the country to obtain a licence or face legal action.This requirement came into effect on Jan 1.
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