The recent death of TikTok influencer A Rajeswari, known as Esha has led to Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo proposing the introduction of a new law that would place the responsibility for the misuse of social media, including cyberbullying, on the owners of social media platforms during a Cabinet meeting.
Gobind emphasised the need for a new law to ensure that platform owners are held accountable for preventing misuse and taking immediate action when such incidents occur, according to Bernama.
He stressed the importance of sending a clear message that the government is serious about finding solutions to this problem and that all relevant parties have a crucial role to play.
He also highlighted that existing laws, such as the Communications and Multimedia Act, the Penal Code, and the Computer Crimes Act, are enforceable but may need to be strengthened or supplemented with new legislation.
The minister underscored the necessity of ensuring that social media platforms are safe in terms of cybersecurity and personal data protection, and that they cannot be misused by anyone.
He called for cyberbullying cases to be taken seriously and addressed promptly, with laws drafted to prevent misuse and ensure swift action when it occurs.
Gobind reiterated his ministry’s support for the Communications Minister’s efforts to strengthen existing laws or introduce new ones in the future.
Furthermore, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had instructed the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and the police to take stern action against cyberbullying cases.
The Prime Minister expressed his disappointment over the cyberbullying incident that led to the death of the TikTok influencer, highlighting the urgent need for effective measures to combat such issues.
Artificial intelligence in cyberbullying
The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in the recent years has led to the “automatic creation of harassing or threatening messages, emails, posts, or comments on a wide variety of platforms and interfaces, and its rapid dissemination,” according to Cyberbullying Research Center.
A cyberbully no longer has to do all the harassment manually. He or she could have just used AI for the task.
AI can be used to analyse a target’s social media posts, online activities, and personal information to create highly specific and threatening messages.
This includes referencing specific locations, recent events, or private details about the target’s life, making the harassment more personal and intimidating.
The harassers can even use AI to create deepfakes of the victims, by superimposing their faces on someone’s else body doing questionable things.
