MCMC Deepfake Probe Puts AI Content Governance Under Investor Scrutiny

Putrajaya, 3 October 2026 – Malaysia’s communications regulator has opened scrutiny of social-media content that allegedly used artificial intelligence to manipulate footage of former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad grieving the death of his wife, Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali. The investigation raises a wider corporate question for platforms, advertisers and technology providers: whether governance systems are developing quickly enough to contain synthetic media before reputational damage spreads across digital networks.

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission said it had contacted the relevant social-media platforms after the manipulated material circulated online. The regulator warned that altering genuine footage to mislead viewers, distort context or undermine an individual’s dignity should not be treated lightly, particularly during a period of bereavement. Tun Dr Siti Hasmah died on 28 September at the age of 100, giving the disputed content an especially sensitive context.