COMMENT | Cybercrimes Bill overreaching, should be subjected to parliamentary scrutiny

COMMENT | The Malaysian Media Council (MMC) supports the government’s efforts to modernise Malaysia’s legal framework to combat cybercrime, online fraud, identity theft, malicious deepfakes, and other emerging harms enabled by rapidly evolving technologies.

The council recognises the importance of equipping law enforcement agencies with effective tools to address increasingly sophisticated cyber threats and welcomes provisions aimed at protecting victims of intimate image abuse and AI-enabled deception.

At the same time, the MMC believes that legislation intended to protect Malaysians from cybercrime must also incorporate robust safeguards to preserve constitutional liberties, maintain public confidence in institutions, and ensure that legitimate journalism and other privileged communications are not inadvertently undermined.

The council’s concerns relate principally to the investigative and enforcement powers contained in Part VII of the bill.

The MMC notes…