For many, Malaysia Pulse (which we’ll refer to as Malaysiapulse.com from here on) is not a familiar name. The website likely would have gone unnoticed were it not for a recent report by artificial intelligence (AI) firm Anthropic. The company identified the website as part of an alleged commercial influence operation targeting voters in Malaysia.
That naturally prompted us to take a closer look at the website and its origins. The publication appeared to have sprung up almost overnight, with its domain registered in May this year and articles appearing just days later, while its output included a mix of general news and increasingly extensive political coverage.
Anthropic said Malaysiapulse.com served as the operation’s synthetic news outlet, alongside roughly 1,000 fake X accounts, an associated YouTube channel and other tools used to generate political content. Meanwhile, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) is now reviewing the claims, while firmly denying any involvement in the activities described.
Not To Be Confused With MalaysiaPulse.my
One important distinction is that Malaysiapulse.com should not be confused with malaysiapulse.my, a separate website that uses a similar name. The latter appears to have been inactive for some time, with its most recent published post dating back to 2024.
The malaysiapulse.com domain identified by Anthropic is a much newer publication. The firm said the domain was registered on 10 May 2026, while indexed copies show Malaysiapulse.com publishing articles as early as 12 May, just two days later. The site presented itself as a Malaysian general-news outlet covering politics, business, sports and other topics, using apparently local bylines and location markers.
Anthropic identified malaysiapulse.com as the synthetic newsroom associated with the alleged commercial influence operation. It said the operation used AI to rewrite legitimate news reports, create political content and publish material under fabricated bylines, with the website serving as one of the platforms through which that content was distributed.
A Purpose-Built Website
The timing around the website is notable. A domain registered on 10 May being followed by published articles within days suggests Malaysiapulse.com was established very quickly, rather than being a long-running publication that was later drawn into the alleged operation.
Those early stories covered a broad mix of subjects rather than focusing exclusively on Malaysian politics. Indexed examples from May include reports on wealth management, business, cybersecurity, sport and international affairs. You can still access archived snapshots of the website and content published in June this year via the Wayback Machine.
The site also used a collection of apparently local reporter identities. Indexed pages credited stories to names including Azizah Rahman, Sarah Chen, Rajesh Kumar, Priya Suppiah and Zarith Sofiah, with titles such as Senior Political Reporter, World Desk and Lifestyle Editor.
Anthropic specifically said the synthetic newsroom used fabricated bylines, although its report does not publicly establish whether every individual name displayed by Malaysiapulse.com was fictitious.
Site Now Inaccessible
At the time of writing, Malaysiapulse.com is now inaccessible. Malaysiakini reported on 11 September that checks found the site and accounts associated with the operation were no longer reachable, a day after Anthropic publicly disclosed its findings.
However, search engines continue to surface previously indexed copies of the site’s pages, providing a snapshot of its publishing activity before it disappeared. These records show that the site produced general and political content.
Among its election-related material were candidate profiles and constituency pages for the 16th Johor state election, alongside articles about Pakatan Harapan’s campaign and political strategy. The site also published more routine reports about Malaysian and international affairs, making it resemble a functioning local newsroom rather than a website dedicated solely to propaganda.
Who Was Behind It?
Anthropic said its investigation uncovered clear links between the operation and BBS Bilisim Teknolojileri (aka BBS Technology), an Istanbul-based technology company. It identified BBS-related infrastructure among its indicators and described the company as the provider of the platform allegedly sold to customers as an influence service.
However, this does not establish who ultimately commissioned the Malaysia-focused operation. Anthropic has not publicly identified the customer who allegedly paid to use the platform, nor has it linked the activity to a specific Malaysian political party, government agency or election.
Malaysiakini reported that BBS Technology is jointly owned by Turkish nationals Türker Batuhan Sarı and Bedri Sarı, with each holding a 50% stake. It had also contacted the company for comment, but had not received a response at the time of publication.
Additionally, there is no clear public evidence at this point that BBS Technology has previously been linked to another election-manipulation operation. The company’s publicly described business is primarily focused on cybersecurity, including areas such as red-team testing, cyber intelligence and data security.
BBS Technology Denies Involvement
BBS Technology has since categorically denied the allegations, saying it has no involvement in, knowledge of, or connection to the activities described by Anthropic. In a public statement shared on LinkedIn, the company said it is conducting an internal investigation and is examining whether its name, digital assets or information about former employees may have been used without its knowledge.
“BBS Technology has no involvement in, knowledge of, or connection to the activities cited in these allegations,” the company said. “We categorically reject the allegations.”
BBS Technology added that it would file a criminal complaint with the Turkish Public Prosecutor’s Office and pursue legal action if its investigation produces concrete findings identifying those responsible. It did not provide further details about the investigation.
It should also be noted that another Turkish company, Bilgi Birikim Sistemleri, which also uses the BBS acronym, has separately denied any involvement. Unlike BBS Technology, the company focuses on enterprise IT systems, providing hardware, software, networking, cloud integration and general consultancy services.
(Source: Anthropic / Malaysiakini)
