Every time Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim posts on Facebook, his comment section floods with praise.
But a Malaysiakini investigation found that much of it isn’t organic. Behind the scenes, 263 Facebook accounts were working together to boost Anwar’s image - posting thousands of comments, many of them identical.
Experts call this 'astroturfing' - when fake grassroots support is manufactured to look real.
The video explains how the coordination was detected, why it matters for Malaysia’s democracy, and how similar operations are happening across Southeast Asia.
Story, analysis: Koh Jun Lin
Additional reporting: B Nantha Kumar, Qistina Nadia Dzulkarnain
Video Producer: Azreen Madzlan
Host, visual editor: John Ng
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Read the full three-part Malaysiakini reports here:
Part 1
https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/756577
Part 2
https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/756652
Part 3
https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/756782