Kuala Lumpur, 10 February 2026 | INITIATE.MY launched a report titled ‘Far-Right Extremism & Tech Accountability’ that examines how Malaysia’s rapidly expanding digital landscape has intensified tech-facilitated harms and far-right extremism (FRE). The report analyses how hate speech, disinformation, online mobilisation and dehumanising narratives erode institutional trust and weaken social cohesion. Across multiple case studies—including Kedah’s claim over Penang, police action against GISB, the targeting of Rohingya communities, the “Chinese flag” dispute and the KK Mart “Allah” socks incident—the report shows how event-driven outrage rapidly escalates online, often outpacing platform moderation and spilling into boycotts, doxxing, intimidation and even political violence. Far-right narratives repeatedly frame state institutions as biased or ineffective, encourage extralegal enforcement, and normalise ethno-religious supremacy and exclusion.
The report argues that engagement-driven platform models amplify emotionally charged and grievance-based content, while moderation systems struggle with local language nuance and fast-moving virality. It identifies platform governance—not just content removal—as the structural challenge, as companies design amplification systems while simultaneously setting the rules of visibility and enforcement. The report recommends shifting toward systems-level platform accountability, strengthening locally informed moderation, tightening protections against doxxing and establishing multi-stakeholder oversight mechanisms. It also calls for recognising FRE as a domestic extremist threat under MyPCVE and investing in sustained prevention, education and regional cooperation to protect democratic resilience and social cohesion.
