Malaysia Might Make Cyberbullying Illegal Soon, But Are We Ready?

Initial findings of a study conducted by MMU says we are.

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On 14 May 2019, a 16-year-old girl in Sarawak jumped to her death from the third floor of a shop lot building in Kuching. The day before, she had posted an Instagram poll to her followers to help her decide whether or not she should continue living, or kill herself.

Her Instagram poll read “Really Important, Help Me Choose D/L”, and as many as 69% of her followers had reportedly voted for her to commit suicide.

It’s impossible to say how the girl felt after reading her replies, all we know is that she took her own life the very next day.

Her case is just one example of how cyberbullying can affect our children.

Communication & Multimedia Ministry studies the need for anti-cyberbullying laws

Cyberbullying is frequently associated with psychological distress. (Credit: Freepik)

These findings are very important because we want to know what the community and legal practitioners feel about cyberbullying… cyberbullying is a serious matter.
Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah, Minister of Communications and Multimedia Malaysia via Astro Awani

In collaboration with Multimedia University (MMU), a survey was conducted since July relating to cyberbullying laws in Malaysia.

The survey involved 409 respondents, consisting of legal practitioners and members of the public.

It found that 74% of legal practitioners believed there was a need to establish a special court related to cyberbullying.

Meanwhile, 71.6% of legal practitioners and 89.3% of the public wanted a cyberbullying act to be introduced.

While Malaysia has a few cybersecurity laws, there is no specific law on cyberbullying

According to Saifuddin, his ministry is in no hurry to implement a new law on cyberbullying as the issue needs to be carefully looked into.

If we want to make cyberbullying a crime, we have to look at existing legislation, there may already be existing provisions under the Penal Code. We also need to study if existing laws are sufficient (to address the issue) and if it is not, we will then decide if a specific Act is needed to address cyberbullying.
Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah, Minister of Communications and Multimedia Malaysia via Astro Awani

At the moment, Malaysia relies on Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 to prosecute cyber bullies. The section states that sharing any obscene, indecent, false, menacing or offensive content is an offence.

The six month long study conducted by MMU was meant to find out whether Malaysia needed a special Act to address cyberbullying problems in the country, as was implemented in Singapore.

MMU is expected to provide a detailed report on their research findings and complete the study by 31 January 2020.

The current (survey) figures are raw data. We hope the full and complete report can be completed and when it is done, we will look at whether to introduce a policy or opt for amendments to the law.
Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah, Minister of Communications and Multimedia Malaysia via Astro Awani

According to Saifuddin, the study would involve consultation with stakeholders such as the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) , Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), CyberSecurity Malaysia, and the Malaysian Bar.

FYI, Singapore’s Protection from Harassment Act, enacted in 2014, criminalises harassment, stalking, and other anti-social behaviour. It was also designed specifically to make cyberbullying and online harassment a criminal offence.

Malaysia is second in Asia for cyberbullying problems, sixth out of 28 countries globally

The different types of cyberbullying. (Credit: Help Your Teen Now)

A 2018 study by tech review site Comparitech found that Malaysia placed sixth among the 28 countries surveyed to measure cyberbullying, and ranked second in Asia.

According to the Women’s Centre for Change (WCC), the aggressive online behaviour of Malaysians mostly manifests in derogatory comments.

However, most cyberbullying cases here go unreported due to the fact that Malaysians tend to avoid facing the possibly long legal proceedings that come with seeking redress.

For those who are experiencing online bullying, contact CyberSecurity Malaysia, Cyber999 via:
E-mail: cyber999@cybersecurity.my
SMS: CYBER999 REPORT to 15888
Tel: 1-300-88-2999

If you or anyone you know of are having problems or thoughts of suicide, please reach out to Befrienders via:
Tel: 03-7956 8145
E-mail: sam@befrienders.org.my
Available 24 hours every day, 7 days a week.
Calls from 8 local telcos are FREE.

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