Malaysia’s government on Tuesday said it would criminalise cyberbullying and hold internet service providers liable for online security matters, two weeks after a social media influencer was suspected to have taken her own life due to cyber harassment and death threats. Beauty content and positivity influencer Rajeswary Appahu was found dead in her home on July 5, a day after she filed a police report claiming she had received death and sexual assault threats online.
Two suspects pleaded guilty in separate courts in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday for posting offensive remarks on TikTok against the 29-year-old influencer, who was also a Hindu rights activist.
The government is drafting amendments to the country’s penal code to include specific provisions on cyberbullying as current laws do not provide sufficient legal protection for cyberbullying victims, according to Law Minister Azalina Othman Said.
“The proposed amendments, besides providing an interpretation of cyberbullying, will classify cyberbullying as a specific offence in Malaysia,” Azalina said in a statement.
The minister said authorities were also drafting a new law that would place the burden of responsibility on online service providers to manage security issues and cyberbullying, specifically on harmful content that involved child victims.
He faces a fine up to 50,000 ringgit (US$10,700), a maximum of one year in jail or both. The court postponed his sentencing pending a trial for a second charge of posting lewd comments aimed at outraging the modesty of the victim’s mother.
The second suspect, Shalini Periasamy, pleaded guilty to a charge of using vulgar language to incite anger and disturb peace. Shalini posted videos of her issuing threats towards Rajeswary on her TikTok account.
Shalini was ordered to pay the maximum 100 ringgit fine for her crime, which was framed as a minor offence.
Rajeswary, who went by the name Esha on her TikTok channel, had reportedly complained of persistent abuse on the social media platform, including being harassed by viewers of a live session she had hosted. Police said a man had filed a separate report after Rajeswary’s death, on two TikTok posts from two different accounts that allegedly levied accusations and threats against the influencer, according to local news reports.
The issue was also on the agenda in parliament, where MPs pointed to how cyberbullies were not held accountable for offensive posts that could lead to suicides as in the alleged case of Rajeswary, and demanded the government and authorities take action.
About 10 cyberbullying cases were seen each day in Malaysia, from 2022 to July 9 this year, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said in a post on X on Monday. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s administration has grappled with the rise of potentially divisive online content in the aftermath of a 2022 election that brought a formidable Malay nationalist minority bloc into parliament.
The government has since pressured social media giants such as Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, and TikTok to come up with plans on clamping down on offensive content relating to sensitive issue of race, religion and royalty
If you have suicidal thoughts or know someone who is experiencing them, help is available. In Hong Kong, you can dial, 18111 for the government-run Mental Health Support Hotline. You can also call +852 2896 0000 for The Samaritans or +852 2382 0000 for Suicide Prevention Services. In the US, call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. For a list of other nations’ helplines, see this page.
Jul 17 2024, 01:48 PM, updated 2y ago
Quote
0.0218sec
0.76
5 queries
GZIP Disabled