KUALA LUMPUR: There has been an uptrend in traditional crimes migrating to cyberspaces including social media, says Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil.

"The online crime issue is alarming," he said.

"I was in a briefing with the National Security Council director-general, (police) Criminal Investigation Department (CID) director and Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) deputy director this morning.

"InsyaAllah, we will do the best in ensuring that the Internet, including social media, is safer for all," he said in a post on Facebook.

The recent cyberbullying case, which led to the suicide of a 30-year-old influencer and sparked national outcry, had prompted the government to study the need for a future-proof law to deal with such incidents.

Fahmi was reported as saying that online messaging system platforms should be more responsible and ensure that they are free from criminal elements.

He said they should be more proactive in dealing with problems highlighted by the authorities, including the proliferation of scammers, as well as the illegal and illicit sale of drugs.

Online scams have also shown a worrying trend, with fraud cases in Malaysia having doubled from 17,668 cases in 2019 to 34,495 cases last year

Meanwhile, the Southeast Asia Regional Centre for Counter-Terrorism (SEARCCT) revealed that terrorist groups were now using online video games to recruit young people to join their movement.

It said the phenomenon of using online video games as a platform to recruit the young to join terrorist groups had been growing in Southeast Asia, with children in this country being exposed to online video games from as early as 10 years old.

The Cyber Security Act 2024, which was gazetted on June 26, is aimed at enhancing the nation's cyber security through compliance with specific measures, standards, and processes in managing cyber security threats.

https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2024/07/1080859/updated-malaysia-faces-cybercrime-surge-fahmi-wants-stronger-online