What to do if an anonymous page posts about you

If you feel unsafe or are in danger, call 999. If the post has left you feeling that you cannot cope, Befrienders KL answers at any hour on 03-7627 2929, and Talian HEAL is on 15555 (8am to midnight). You do not have to be in crisis to call.

This guide is general information, not legal advice.

Short answer. Do not reply in public. Screenshot the post, its link and the comments, then message the page privately and ask for removal, and report the post to the platform. If neither acts, complain to MCMC. Where there are threats, harassment, doxxing or sexual content, make a police report.

Finding a post about yourself on an anonymous page is a particular kind of shock. Someone you probably know has written about you, strangers are reading it, and there is nobody visible to respond to. The urge is to do something at once — to comment, to defend yourself, to work out who wrote it.

Most of those first impulses make things worse. This guide sets out what does help, in the order in which to do it.

First: don't engage publicly

Do not comment on the post. Do not reply to commenters. Do not post a rebuttal on your own profile, and ask your friends not to do it for you.

There are two reasons. A reply from you confirms to everyone that the post is about you, when until that moment many readers were unsure. And engagement of any kind — including angry engagement — tells the platform's systems that the post is interesting, and so it is shown to more people.

The post is most likely to fade quickly if it is removed quietly.

Second: preserve the evidence

Before you ask anyone to remove anything, record it. Once the post has gone you may not be able to prove that it ever existed.

Take screenshots that show:

• the post in full, with the name of the page and the date visible;
• the web address of the post — tap or click the timestamp to open the post on its own, and copy the link;
• the comments, especially any that name or tag you;
• the page's profile, showing its name, handle and follower count;
• any messages you receive as a result.

Keep the originals somewhere safe, with the date on which you took them. If the matter goes to the platform, a regulator, the police or a lawyer, each will ask for exactly this.

Third: ask the page to remove it

This is the fastest route, and it succeeds more often than people expect. Most admins are students who did not appreciate that the post identified a real person and who will take it down when told.

Message the page privately — through its inbox, or the contact address in its About section. Keep it short:

Hello. Post #[number] ([link]) is about me and I'd like it removed, together with the comments on it. Please confirm when this has been done. Thank you.

You do not have to explain why, prove that it is about you, or say what in it is untrue. If you do not want the admins to learn who you are, a friend can send the request on your behalf.

Give it a day. If nothing happens, send one follow-up and then move on to the next step. Do not make threats in these messages. If the matter does later involve lawyers, your own messages will be read as well.

Fourth: report it to the platform

You can do this alongside step three. You need not wait.

On both Facebook and Instagram, open the menu on the post (the three dots) and choose Report. Pick the category that fits most closely — bullying or harassment, sharing private information, or false information about you, for instance. Report the comments that identify you individually, and report the page itself if it is doing this repeatedly.

A few practical points:

• Reports about content that targets you generally carry more weight when you make them, because some policies depend on the affected person complaining.
• Be specific in any free-text box: "This post identifies me by my course, year and position, and makes a false allegation."
• If your private information has been exposed — your address, phone number or identity documents — use the reporting option meant for that. Platforms treat it as a distinct and more serious category.
• If intimate images are involved, use the dedicated reporting route for non-consensual intimate imagery. Platforms give these priority.

Since January 2026, the large platforms operating in Malaysia have had statutory duties under the Online Safety Act 2025 to provide reporting mechanisms and to act on reports of harmful content.

Fifth: escalate to MCMC

If the page does not remove the post and the platform takes no action, you can complain to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission through its complaints portal at aduan.mcmc.gov.my. You will be asked for the links and for your evidence — which is why step two comes first.

Sixth: consider a police report

A police report is appropriate where the content may amount to a criminal offence. This includes:

• threats against you or your family;
• harassment or bullying — threatening, abusive or insulting communications that cause you distress, fear or alarm, which have been specific offences under the Penal Code since July 2025;
• doxxing — publication of your identity information in order to harass you;
• sexual content — intimate images, sexual remarks about you, anything sexual involving a person under 18;
• serious false allegations — defamation can be a criminal offence as well as a civil wrong;
• impersonation or fraud in your name.

You can make a report at any police station. Bring your evidence, printed or on your phone, and your identity card. Ask for a copy of the report. Even if no prosecution follows, the report is an official record that you can cite to the platform, to your institution and to a lawyer.

The background to these offences is in Doxxing and harassment: the 2025 Penal Code offences.

Seventh: tell your institution, if it is connected

If the page is associated with your school, college or workplace, and especially if the post is affecting your studies or your safety, tell someone with authority: a counsellor, the student affairs office, a teacher you trust, or human resources. They may be able to:

• contact the page's admins, whom they may well know;
• act under the institution's own code of conduct if the author is identified;
• make arrangements for your safety and wellbeing;
• stand as a formal record that you raised the matter.

You are entitled to ask for this to be handled discreetly.

Legal action

If the post made a false and damaging statement of fact about you, you may have a civil claim in defamation against whoever published it — which includes the people who run the page, and not only the anonymous author. A lawyer can advise on whether your case is strong, what it would cost, and whether a letter of demand asking for removal and an apology would be enough.

Be realistic about what the law can achieve. Legal proceedings are slow, expensive and public, and can attract more attention to the statement than the original post did. For most people, removal is the real aim, and it is usually achieved at an earlier step. Legal action is the right course for serious cases — persistent campaigns, grave allegations, real damage to a career or to your safety.

If you cannot afford a lawyer, the Legal Aid Department (Jabatan Bantuan Guaman) and the Malaysian Bar's legal aid centres may be able to help those who qualify.

Finding out who wrote it

This is what almost everyone wants to know, and it is usually the least useful thing to pursue.

• The page's admins probably do not know, and should not guess.
• Your own guess may well be wrong, and accusing the wrong person creates a second injustice — and may expose you to a complaint.
• Platforms and service providers do not disclose user information on request. That needs legal process.
• If the matter is serious enough for the police to investigate, identifying the author is their job, and they have powers that you do not.

Put your effort into getting the content removed and into protecting yourself. Unmasking the author rarely brings the relief people hope for.

Protect your accounts

A post about you tends to send people looking for you. For the next few weeks:

• set your social media profiles to private, or limit who can comment and send messages;
• restrict who can tag you, and turn on tag review;
• look at what is publicly visible on your profiles — your phone number, your address, your workplace, your family members — and hide it;
• block and report accounts that harass you, without replying to them;
• turn on two-factor authentication, in case someone tries to get into your accounts.

Look after yourself

Being discussed by strangers is painful, and it feels far larger from the inside than it appears from the outside. A few things are worth holding on to.

It passes faster than you expect. A confession page publishes many posts a day. Readers' attention moves on in hours or days. What feels as though everybody is talking about it is usually a few dozen people for a short while.

Tell someone you trust. Not to rally support in public, but so that you are not carrying it by yourself.

Step away from the screen. Refreshing the comments does not change them. Ask a friend to keep watch and to tell you only when something needs action.

Use the support that exists. Your institution's counselling service, Befrienders, Talian HEAL. Being targeted online is exactly the kind of thing they are there for.

A summary of the order

1. Don't respond publicly.
2. Take screenshots and save the links.
3. Message the page privately and ask for removal.
4. Report the post and the comments to the platform.
5. If nothing happens, complain to MCMC.
6. If it involves threats, harassment, doxxing or sexual content, make a police report.
7. Tell your institution if it is connected.
8. Take legal advice if the case is serious.
9. Lock down your accounts, and talk to someone.

If you run a page and somebody has sent you this article, the corresponding guide for you is How to handle a takedown request. The short version is to take the post down today.

Common questions

How do I get a post about me removed from a confession page?

Message the page privately with the post number or link and ask for it to be removed together with its comments. You do not have to explain why or prove that it is about you. Report the post to the platform at the same time. If neither acts, complain to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission at aduan.mcmc.gov.my.

Should I reply to a post about me on an anonymous page?

No. A reply from you confirms to everyone that the post is about you, and engagement of any kind tells the platform that the post is interesting, so it is shown to more people. Ask your friends not to reply on your behalf either.

Can I find out who wrote an anonymous post about me?

Usually not, and it is rarely the most useful thing to pursue. The page's admins probably do not know, platforms do not disclose user information on request, and a wrong guess creates a second injustice. If the matter is serious enough for the police to investigate, identifying the author is their job.

When should I make a police report about an online post?

When the content may amount to a criminal offence: threats, harassment or bullying, doxxing, sexual content, serious false allegations, or impersonation. Bring your evidence and your identity card to any police station and ask for a copy of the report.

Can I sue a confession page for defamation?

If the post made a false and damaging statement of fact about you, you may have a civil claim against whoever published it, which includes the people who run the page and not only the anonymous author. Proceedings are slow, expensive and public, so for most people removal is the real aim. A lawyer can advise on whether a letter of demand would be enough.