Kuala Lumpur, 13 January 2026 | Digital platforms are deeply embedded in everyday life in Malaysia, but they are also increasingly enabling tech-facilitated harms that threaten individual safety, social cohesion and democratic participation. Hate speech, extremist narratives and generative AI–driven disinformation are fueling online abuse that disproportionately targets women and children, LGBTQ+ people, journalists, human rights defenders, refugees and minority communities. These harms are further compounded by the rise of online child sexual exploitation and transnational scam operations across the ASEAN region.
In response to these growing challenges, Malaysian civil society launched the Knowledge Hub Initiative in late 2024, bringing together more than 20 organisations to strengthen collective responses to tech-facilitated harm. Through consultations and collaborative learning, the Hub identified two persistent gaps: limited access to reliable data, tools and analytical capacity among civil society organisations, and weak coordination across CSOs, academics, regulators, law enforcement and tech companies. These gaps continue to undermine timely detection, analysis and effective intervention.
This policy brief summarises the Hub’s insights by mapping the current threat landscape, identifying vulnerabilities exploited by bad-faith actors and outlining practical measures to strengthen digital resilience—particularly through multi-sectoral collaboration.
