Cybercrime and AI Bills Signal Push to Curb Digital Misuse
At the National Cyber Security Committee Meeting on February 12, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced the development of a new Cybercrime Bill, slated for tabling in March. The bill aims to defend against increasingly advanced cyber fraud and AI misuse. The proposed Cybercrime Bill comes at a point when AI platforms are under increasing pressure to eradicate online scams which resulted in RM 2.9 billion (~ USD $745 million) in losses in 2025. Aligning with international cybercrime conventions from the United Nations and the Council of Europe, Malaysia’s Cybercrime Bill takes a "technology neutral” stance in efforts to ensure fairness through improved legal mechanisms.
The Malaysian Government is taking other proactive steps to combat cybercrimes, exemplified by its National Digital Trust and Data Security Strategy 2026-2030 initiative. These include the establishment of a new Cyber Security and Cryptology Development Centre within the Prime Minister’s Office, as well as a Data Commission tasked to safeguard data nationwide. The government has shown intentionality in prioritizing digital innovation and cyber-related initiatives. Moreover, public and private stakeholders announced that Futurise—a regulatory sandbox expert—will be incorporated into the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) in a policy advisory role to facilitate high-value digital transformation.
In parallel to the effort to safeguard the digital ecosystem, Malaysia’s Digital Ministry plans to table an AI Governance Bill in Parliament by the end of 2026. The bill furthers initiatives to secure Malaysia’s cyber landscape and defend against adverse AI-generated content, with a focus on deepfakes. Notably, the bill also includes provisions to enable government tracing of AI-related crimes and will require AI developers to mitigate potential risks accompanied with the technology. This recent development, alongside similar efforts by neighboring countries such as Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam, signal a growing regional awareness on AI governance across ASEAN.
