was not genuine216, 217. Meta’s spokesperson stated, “Our review has not found evidence of violations of our coordinated inauthentic behavior policy related to the prime minister’s Facebook page.”218 In addition, in October 2025, the government unveiled a plan to limit prepaid SIM card registration to two per telecommunications company for Malaysians and two in total for foreigners, in order to tackle online fraud and misuse 219 . The government reportedly expects that the measures will curb the misuse of prepaid SIM cards to register social media accounts used for fraud, deception, and threats220. Media reported that the government sent a letter in April 2025 to telecommunications firms in the country, requesting detailed records of users’ phone calls and internet activity, including call records, IP call records, and location data221. The MCMC stated that the requested data would be used to generate granular statistics to track active broadband subscriptions and penetration222. According to the MCMC, telecommunications firms would be required to anonymize the data before submission so that no individual subscriber could be identified223. C. Implications of the Situations on Human Rights and Democracy The most concerning digital rights issue in Malaysia is the state’s control of information, particularly through censorship and restrictions on online speech under the CMA and Sedition Act. Under Anwar’s administration, these laws continue to be used against free expression, contradicting his coalition’s election manifesto promise to repeal them. As censorship and these laws are used to crack down on free speech, they reduce the diversity of viewpoints users can encounter, potentially silencing dissenting and marginalized voices. Yusry, Muhammad. “Fahmi, Meta Denies Malaysiakini Facebook Takedown, Fake Accounts Linked to Anwar.” Malay Mail, 1 Oct. 2025, www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2025/10/01/fahmi-metadenies-malaysiakini-facebook-takedown-fake-accounts-linked-to-anwar/193036. 217. “Mkini’s FB Pages Were Suspended Due to ‘Technical Issue,’ Meta Claims.” Malaysiakini, 9 Oct. 2025, www. malaysiakini.com/news/757454. 218. “No Sign of Policy Violations on Anwar’s FB Page, Says Meta.” Malaysiakini, 30 Sep. 2025, www.malaysiakini.com/news/756612. 219. “Govt to Limit Malaysians to 24 Prepaid SIM Cards per Person.” Malaysiakini, 22 Oct. 2025, www. malaysiakini.com/news/758697. 220. Ibid. 221. Sipalan, Joseph. “Malaysia Orders Telecoms Firms to Hand Over User Data, Raising Privacy Concerns.” South China Morning Post, 6 June 2025, www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3313339/ malaysia-orders-telecoms-firms-hand-over-user-data-raising-privacy-concerns. 222. Ibid. 223. Ibid. 216. 51