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

Its 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) 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 homeowner, P Shalini, who was linked to the death of influencer A Rajeswary, better known as Esha.

The Magistrate's Court yesterday fined Shalini the maximum amount of RM100.

“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 TikTok, 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.

Wanita MIC also expressed disappointment over the RM100 fine with its chief N Saraswati saying that the amount was meagre compared to the magnitude of Shalini's offence, which led to the death of the victim.

Yesterday, Shalini, 35, pleaded 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.

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

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 over threats made against her.

‘Troll Farm’

Fahmi said that his ministry had detected a new trend of individuals using the “Troll Farm” system, on TikTok, to manipulate perceptions related to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

TikTok detected the issue when Anwar was answering questions at the Prime Minister's Questions session in Parliament on Tuesday, he added.

TikTok had also identified a group of individuals using the Troll Farm system, which can 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”.

Fahmi said TikTok conducted an investigation and identified individuals who engaged in coordinated inauthentic behaviour against its policies and TikTok has shut down the accounts involved.

- Bernama

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