Whip those who make deepfakes, AI porn, says MP

 Rompin MP Abdul Khalib Abdullah says abuse of artificial intelligence and deepfake technology has caused long-term trauma to victims.

Rompin MP Abdul Khalib Abdullah proposed establishing a national facial recognition system integrated with the MCMC to enable swift action.

KUALA LUMPUR:

Mandatory whipping should be imposed on offenders who create and distribute pornographic content using artificial intelligence and deepfake technology, an opposition MP told the Dewan Rakyat today.

Abdul Khalib Abdullah (PN-Rompin) said harsher penalties should be imposed immediately, given the severe psychological impact and long-term trauma suffered by victims.

He expressed concern over cases where images of university students and female social media influencers were turned into fake pornographic content, saying such acts had tarnished their dignity and damaged their mental health.

“The proposed penalty of a RM300,000 fine or five years’ imprisonment should be increased. I propose mandatory whipping for perpetrators of pornographic deepfakes because the psychological harm inflicted on victims can result in lifelong trauma.

“There have been cases overseas where people have taken their lives,” he said when debating the Cybercrimes Bill 2026.

Khalib also proposed establishing a national facial recognition system integrated with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission to enable swift action, including blocking fake social media accounts used for identity theft.

He said this was due to cases in which cybercriminals created fake Facebook and WhatsApp accounts using images of religious leaders, politicians, and famous artists to solicit donations and promote fake investment schemes.

Syerleena Abdul Rashid (PH-Bukit Bendera) called for emergency blocking orders to compel social media platform operators to remove deepfake content within hours, particularly when it involved children.

“No child should have to plead on the internet for their image to be taken down. Our country must act and move faster than the algorithm,” she said.

Siti Aminah Aching (BN-Beaufort) proposed an automatic inter-agency integration mechanism as soon as a police report was lodged to prevent scam victims from being burdened by multiple layers of complaint referrals.

“The people do not want to see overlapping roles or delays in enforcement. They want swift, coordinated and effective action once a report is lodged,” she said, calling for follow-up action by the police, the MCMC, and the National Scam Response Centre to be streamlined. - FMT