Police take serious steps to identify cyberbullying offenders, says IGP
KUALA LUMPUR: The Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) is taking serious steps to identify cyberbullying offenders who are deemed to pose a threat to the safety of individuals online.
According to Berita Harian, Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain stated that actions by those engaged in cyberbullying could result in threats and dangers, potentially leading to criminal behavior against the victims of their cyber attacks.
He mentioned that while some might view cyberbullying as a trivial matter, the impact or consequences can pose significant threats to each cyberbullying victim.
“Cyberbullying elements were also detected in the recent murder case of a former student of Sultan Idris Education University (UPSI), particularly in how family members of both the victim and the suspect were judged.
“Cyberbullying can take various forms and contexts, such as insulting, condemning, disparaging, and threatening the family members involved in the murder case of Nurfarah Kartini Abdullah, creating false perceptions,” he told BH today.
He was commenting on the case of popular TikTok influencer Rajeswary Appahu, or Esha, who was found dead on July 5, a day after reporting criminal threats and defamation against herself.
Razaruddin said it is clear that some people persistently use social media to blame suspects or victims while investigations are still ongoing.
“It’s as if these cyberbullies believe they know every detail of the incident and claim to have extensive knowledge about both the suspects and the victims.
“Imagine what could happen to the close associates of the suspects or victims due to provocative comments or statements based on false or unverified information. This is cyberbullying,” he said.
He emphasized that he does not want any more cases of cyberbullying resulting in deaths due to defamation and threats from cyberbullies who issue threats and spread false information.
“This is not a joke, it affects the emotions of each victim, potentially leading to unsafe behaviors.
“Therefore, PDRM, through the Criminal Investigation Department (JSJ) and the Commercial Crime Investigation Department (JSJK), is continuously working closely with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (SKMM) and the Ministry of Communications to review and study stricter measures and actions to combat cyberbullying,” he said.
He also mentioned that PDRM and the Ministry of Communications have established a committee responsible for examining legal aspects that will be proposed in the future.
As a result, Razaruddin urged the public who are victims or have any information related to cyberbullying incidents to promptly report them to the police.