need for more stringent regulations

CYBERBULLYING has become a critical issue in Malaysia, highlighted recently by the tragic death of 30-year-old social media influencer Rajeswary Appahu, known online as Esha, after allegedly being subjected to severe online harassment. The incident of cyberbullying sparked public outrage and drew attention to the pervasive and harmful effects of online harassment.

In July 2022, a 44-year-old mother of three committed suicide in her USJ home after being cyberbullied on TikTok. In 2019, a 16-year-old girl in Sarawak committed suicide by jumping to her death hours after 69 percent of respondents to her Instagram poll urged her to commit suicide. To this day, the perpetrators have not been brought to justice.

Although these tragic incidents are the result of cyberbullying and online slander by a group of internet users, they raise questions and underscore the urgent need to take decisive action against cyberbullying in Malaysia to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Current situation in Malaysia

There is a significant lack of cybersecurity awareness and education, formal or informal, leaving citizens to navigate online security through trial and error, often being cheated out of learning. Furthermore, mainstream and online media do not do a better job of promoting cybersecurity education and advocacy.

Current cybersecurity agencies are focusing more on the cybersecurity of companies and organizations than on education and support systems for the safety of citizens online. This is evident in the recently passed Cybersecurity Act 2024, which aims to protect key national infrastructure companies.

The lack of cybersecurity legislation in Malaysia continues to be a significant gap in our digital defense and security. This gap facilitates the growth of cybercrime, fraud, online predators, human trafficking, and other digital threats.

Funding research for cybersecurity awareness and education at local universities is not a top priority. Larger portions of funding are allocated to other areas of research.

Relying solely on criminal law to address this problem is neither effective nor sufficient in combating cyberbullying, online fraud and other forms of cybercrime.

If no action is taken to change the current attitude and mindset of policy makers and digital citizens in Malaysia, we can expect to see similar and diverse incidents of cyberbullying continue to emerge.

Strategies for Navigating Future Cybersecurity Regulation

With this in mind, here are some suggestions that may be considered by the relevant cybersecurity agencies in our country:

Establish a new agency to address cybersecurity, preferably a Cybersecurity Commission, as is currently the case in Australia.

A preventive law such as the Cyber ​​​​Safety Act should be introduced that requires all employees, companies with customers using the Internet, and digital citizens in schools and communities to raise awareness and educate about cybersecurity.

University research funding should be geared towards making cybersecurity research a priority, with particular attention paid to the safety of citizens online and the regulation of generative AI technologies that could harm human well-being.

Funding the creation of new media promoting cybersecurity and digital well-being, combining educational and entertainment strategies to create high-quality local content to raise awareness and educate.

Cybersecurity education is to be introduced into schools, either in formal settings or as extracurricular activities, in the form of social services and creative online activities. These can be led by students and facilitated by teachers and professional volunteers.

Establishment of a Cybercrime Victim Support Centre, including support for victims of cyberbullying, fraud, etc., which would be professionally run and financed by the government with appropriate budget support.

We hope that by sharing these insights and suggestions, local cybersecurity agencies such as the National Cybersecurity Committee will seriously consider these issues to ensure that Malaysia remains safe in the digital sphere, thereby supporting the flourishing of Digital Malaysia.

With over 30 years of experience in cybersecurity, Associate Professor Ts Dato’ Dr Husin Bin Jazri is currently the Director of the Global Centre for Cyber ​​​​Safety at Taylor’s University. The centre aims to provide a special focus on cybersecurity as a combination of cybersecurity and data privacy challenges that many face.