Malaysia reports nearly 7,000 deepfake content removals since 2024, with women increasingly targeted by AI-generated abuse, prompting new online safety laws.
KUALA LUMPUR: The misuse of artificial intelligence to create deepfake content, particularly targeting women, is a growing concern with nearly 7,000 takedown requests submitted to social media platforms since 2024.
Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching revealed that the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission submitted 6,987 content takedown requests from January 1, 2024, to March 1, 2026, resulting in the removal of 6,657 pieces of content, a 95% success rate.
She detailed that 817 pieces of content were removed in 2024, a figure which surged to 3,389 in 2025, with a further 2,451 inappropriate AI and deepfake items taken down by March 1 this year.
“This has become a trend, with technologies such as deepfakes, we are seeing more women becoming victims,” Teo told reporters after an International Women’s Day event at UCSI University.
She stated that the MCMC will begin enforcing a framework under the Online Safety Act 2025 this year to strengthen protections, especially for women and children.
“The MCMC has tried to develop regulatory instruments to ensure we can hold platform providers or service providers accountable,” she explained, aiming for faster removal of pornographic or victimising content.
In her earlier speech, Teo warned that AI tools trained on existing gender biases are enabling violence against women to spread further, faster and in more complex ways.
She highlighted a global reality where at least one in three women experiences physical or sexual violence, describing the emergence of powerful AI as creating a ‘perfect storm’.
“While technology-facilitated violence against women and girls has been intensifying, with studies showing 16 to 58% of women worldwide impacted, AI is creating new forms of abuse and amplifying existing ones at alarming rates,” Teo said.
She affirmed that the government has strengthened safeguards through the Online Safety Act 2025 and the Anti-Bullying Act 2025 to combat harmful content and digital exploitation.
These laws provide clearer obligations for platforms, stronger powers for regulators, and firmer penalties for offenders according to the deputy minister.
Teo also encouraged students to use technology creatively and responsibly to contribute to a more inclusive and fair society.
“I hope they will continue to showcase their faith and creativity in this industry so that we can see a world with more gender equality,” she added.
The Sun Malaysia
