Clearer cyberbullying definition needed to ensure appropriate punishment - Fahmi

KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Communications is working to better address the issue of cyberbullying so that the individuals involved can be brought to justice and punished accordingly.

Minister Fahmi Fadzil said that he, together with Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo and Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, are also re-examining the definition of cyberbullying, and the appropriate punishment.

He said this when commenting on the case of a welfare home owner, P. Shalini, who was linked to the death of influencer, A Rajeswary, better known as Esha. Shalini was fined a maximum of RM100 by the Magistrate's Court, yesterday.

"I am disappointed with the small fine, but I was made to understand by the Attorney-General's Chambers, that the punishment was meted out based on the evidence collected.

"For the second case (lorry driver B. Sathiskumar), using Section 233 (Communications and Multimedia Act 1998), the fine is RM50,000, and that is quite a significant (penalty)," he told the media after attending the KL Startup Summit at the Asia School of Business, today.

Fahmi stressed the importance of handling cyberbullying more effectively, emphasising the necessity for clearer definitions and more substantial penalties.

Additionally, Fahmi said that his ministry has been reviewing numerous comments, including those on the TikTok application, where several influencers expressed dissatisfaction, not only with the fine imposed but also with the offender's apparent lack of remorse for her actions.

"So, we have to work very hard to strengthen the law now," he emphasised.

Yesterday, Shalini, 35, was fined RM100 by the Magistrate's Court, here, after pleading guilty to intentionally uttering abusive words via her TikTok account, 'alphaquinnsha', to incite anger and disturb the peace, under Section 14 of the Minor Offences Act 1955, which carries a maximum fine of RM100.

Meanwhile, Sathiskumar, 40, pleaded guilty in the Sessions Court here to the charge of making and initiating transmissions, of an obscene nature, by using communication services.

The charge was framed under Section 233(1)(a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, and can be punished under Section 233(3) of the same act, which carries a maximum fine of RM50,000 or imprisonment not exceeding one year, or both, and a further fine of RM1,000 for each day the offence continues, after conviction.

Bernama previously reported that Esha was found dead in a condominium unit in Setapak, on July 5, a day after lodging a police report at the Dang Wangi police station, here, over threats made against her.

In another development, Fahmi said that his ministry had detected a new trend of a group of individuals using the 'Troll Farm' system, on TikTok, to manipulate perceptions related to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

He said that TikTok detected the issue when Anwar was answering questions at the Prime Minister's Questions session in Parliament on Tuesday.

TikTok had also identified a group of individuals using the Troll Farm system, which was able to make a single word in the comment section of a live broadcast on the application, be repeated 15,000 times, and make it a 'trending word' at that time.

Fahmi said TikTok conducted an investigation and identified individuals who engaged in coordinated inauthentic behaviour (CIB) against its policies and TikTok has taken decisive action by shutting down the accounts involved.

-- BERNAMA

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