Frustrated shopper captures disturbing photo of LED billboard flooding the parking lot: 'This can't be legal'

Extreme LED signage outside a Malaysian shopping mall is getting noticed — but for all the wrong reasons.

In a Reddit post, shared to r/Bolehland, a photo of Setia City Mall in Shah Alam, Malaysia, shows it is lit up so brightly by digital billboards that nearby structures — including a multi-level Audi dealership — appear to glow in the night.

"This can't be legal? So much light pollution," the caption read.

The dramatic image shows LED screens casting a near-daylight brightness across the parking lot, washing the surrounding skyline in an artificial glare. 

One user joked, "The beacons are lit! Gondor calls for aid!" referencing the fire-lit warnings from the Lord of the Rings. Another compared the experience to being hit with a flashbang.

While it might just seem like an aesthetic issue, excessive LED lighting and digital billboards can have real environmental consequences. Not only do they waste electricity, but they contribute to light pollution, which harms ecosystems, disrupts wildlife behavior, and affects human health by interfering with circadian rhythms.

Plus, loud, flashy advertising often feeds into a deeper systemic issue: overconsumption. 

These glowing ads push people to buy more, often things they don't need — fueling production cycles that burn dirty fuels and generate enormous waste. And when those products are quickly discarded? They end up in our already overflowing landfills.

While a single billboard might not seem like a huge issue, moments like this reflect larger problems.

As comments suggest, this advertisement is not alone.

Would you be more likely to shop at a store that paid you for your old stuff? Absolutely 💯 Only if they make it easy 😎 Depends on the store 🤔 Nope 👎 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

"I remember same case happened last year kat JB with AIA signboard. Maybe can report to Authority? The best just make it viral, make your post public and contact any social page eg siakap keli etc," a commenter recommended.

While reporting is a great solution, people have developed several other ways to push back in their everyday lives. Embracing Buy Nothing groups, thrifting, and slow living practices that prioritize sustainability over endless consumption can help reduce the amount of goods that end up trashed and wasted — and can dim the lights on these advertisements.

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