KUALA LUMPUR, July 1 — The government has been urged to introduce mandatory whipping for offenders responsible for creating and distributing pornographic content manipulated using artificial intelligence (AI) and deepfake technology.
Rompin MP Datuk Abdul Khalib Abdullah said harsher penalties should be implemented immediately, given the severe psychological impact and long-term trauma suffered by victims.
"The proposed penalty of a fine or five years' imprisonment should be increased. Rompin proposes mandatory whipping for perpetrators of pornographic deepfakes because the psychological harm inflicted on victims can result in lifelong trauma," he said when debating the Cybercrimes Bill 2026 in the Dewan Rakyat today.
Khalib also proposed establishing a national facial recognition system integrated with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to enable swift action, including blocking fake social media accounts used to steal identities.
The issue of pornographic deepfakes was also raised by Bukit Bendera MP Syerleena Abdul Rashid, who called for emergency blocking orders to be enforced immediately to compel social media platform operators to remove such content within hours, particularly when it involves 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.
Meanwhile, Beaufort MP Datuk Siti Aminah Aching proposed an automatic inter-agency integration mechanism to be triggered upon lodging a police report, 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.
