Addressing Child Exploitation via Deepfake Technology: Evaluating Malaysia’s Legal Framework

The rapid development in artificial intelligence (AI) has led to the proliferation of deepfake technology. The advancement of deepfake technology has posed significant risks, particularly its significant threats to children through exploitation. This paper aims to examine the effectiveness of Malaysia’s current legal framework in tackling deepfake child pornography and to identify existing legal gaps. Despite the severe implications of deepfakes in facilitating child pornography and other forms of abuse, Malaysia currently lacks specific laws to address these pressing issues. Thus, this paper delves into effective legislative measures to tackle deepfake-related crime through a comparative analysis of the legal approaches in the United Kingdom, Singapore, South Korea and the European Union. By identifying the key provisions and case laws in these jurisdictions, this study proposes to reform Malaysia’s outdated laws to criminalise the parties liable for the crime and point up the need to adopt a robust legal framework to safeguard victims and deter potential offenders.