Kota Kinabalu, Tuesday, 2 September 2025:
Over the past week, Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) has highlighted the dangers of irresponsible people abusing technology and the urgent need for ethical standards in the digital space.
Chin Vui Kai, SAPP Information Chief, warned of AI phone farms that flood social media with fake content and fabricated conversations aimed at manipulating online discussions.
Datuk Yong Teck Lee, SAPP President, pointed to roketkini.com’s disinformation as one example of organised propaganda campaigns from Malaya that have specifically targeted Sabah audiences for more than a decade.
Lim Kat Chung, SAPP Supreme Council Member, demanded deliberate action from MCMC against scams, deepfakes and cyber troopers, and named astroturfing tactics as part of a black tech industry designed to mislead Sabahans and distort public opinion.
These cases show how technology, when abused, can poison public discourse and endanger society.
The danger of falsehood is also illustrated by a recent viral video that was later debunked, where innocent elderly couples were lured to look for a non-existent cable car ride in Perak, created entirely through AI-generated fiction. This case proves how easily misleading content can spread if the public accepts it as fact. The couple had spent money and travelled from Kuala Lumpur to Perak with a plan to visit the tourist cable car resort which is non-existent.
For SAPP, the answer is not to reject technology development, but to ensure it is guided by the party’s seven values of unity, commitment, service, credibility, discipline, resilience and progress.
Through these values, SAPP will continue to promote the ethical use of technology so that AI, as a tool, becomes a force for education, innovation and opportunity instead of abuse.
Sabah deserves an online environment built on truth, integrity and responsibility, and SAPP is committed to defend both progress and principles for the people.
Chin Vui Kai
Information Chief of SAPP