Teacher trapped in red tape after fake lewd photo spreads online

A primary school teacher in Kuala Selangor said she has been caught in a web of bureaucratic red tape as her bid for justice over the online circulation of an edited indecent image of herself drags on without resolution.

Sharing what she described as a terrifying experience, the 28-year-old teacher said she received a Facebook message on Sept 16 from an unknown account, which shared with her another Facebook profile that had uploaded an image of her.

While the stranger had contacted her to warn her of the image making the rounds on the social media platform, the teacher found that the picture had been edited to make her appear semi-nude, along with a degrading caption.

To her shock, she also discovered that the account that reached out to her had many mutual friends with other teachers and several official Facebook pages for schools, causing her to suspect that the perpetrator behind the incident might personally know her. 

“When I saw the picture, I panicked and immediately went to the police station to make a report,” she told Malaysiakini.

She said that the police had then instructed her to refer the matter to the MCMC for further action.

However, during her visit to the commission the following day, a staff member informed her that the police must first conduct an investigation and prepare a report before MCMC can obtain the IP address or details of the individual who owns the account that uploaded her image. 

“On MCMC’s advice, I sought legal assistance,” she added.

On Sept 21, she returned to the police station to make a second report and filed an official online complaint with MCMC.

MCMC claims no jurisdiction

After nearly three weeks, on Oct 8, the teacher received an official reply from MCMC, with the commission claiming it did not have direct access to the requested Facebook account information.

“Cooperation from the platform provider is subject to its terms and conditions,” MCMC said in its response, sighted by Malaysiakini.

MCMC also advised the teacher to refer the case back to the police and bring the matter to court to obtain an official order, noting that such measures are necessary before any information can be accessed.

When contacted, MCMC said the complaint had been reviewed and appropriate action had been taken in line with its jurisdiction under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (CMA).

“In the complaint, the complainant requested that the account be deleted and that an investigation be carried out into the person who circulated the photo.

“After receiving the complaint, MCMC submitted a request to the platform for further action.

“Based on the feedback received, the reported obscene content has been removed by the platform,” an MCMC representative said.

Commenting on the request to identify the person who circulated the image, MCMC said the matter falls under the jurisdiction of the police.

“Any complaint or report involving individuals who try to humiliate others on social media can only be investigated by the police,” it said.

It added that MCMC’s authority is limited to content that violates Section 233 of the CMA, which covers content that is obscene, indecent, false, threatening, or offensive and made with the intent to annoy, abuse, threaten, harass, or cause harm to another person.

Given the run around

The teacher said the investigating officer (IO) in charge of her case only contacted her nearly a month after she lodged her report.

“At first, the IO didn’t contact me. I felt like my case was being ignored. Because of that, I emailed the Selangor police headquarters to request an investigation, but I didn’t receive any response after waiting nine days. 

“Then, I asked for help from a former senior police officer to look into the case. The officer contacted the head of the Selangor Criminal Investigation Department. Within 20 minutes, the IO called me and asked me to come to the station,” she recounted.

Her troubles were far from over, however, as her meeting with the IO only saw him reiterating that the case would be referred to MCMC.

“I go to MCMC, they tell me to go to the police. When I go to the police, they tell me to go to MCMC. I’m at a loss. Today marks 42 days, but I still haven’t received any explanation or solution.

“If a teacher like me faces this, imagine the situation for others who are less educated or unaware of such issues,” she lamented.

She added that she feels traumatised by the incident, which not only tarnished her dignity but has also affected her daily life.

Selangor police have yet to respond to Malaysiakini’s requests for comments. 

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