THE Anti-Fake News Bill 2018 gives the government excessively broad powers, including extra-territorial jurisdiction that allows it to charge or detain any person, even outside Malaysia, whatever his nationality or citizenship, who publishes what it perceives to be fake news, said law practitioners.

Financiers of blogs or news sites can also be indicted, while court applications to reverse a publication ban can be thrown out under the pretext of national security, lawyers said.