Malaysia wrestles over online identity checks as suspect in school killing charged with murder

KUALA LUMPUR – A 14-year-old male student was charged on Oct 22 with the murder of his 16-year-old female schoolmate, and will undergo psychiatric evaluation to determine whether he is fit to stand trial.

No plea was recorded in a

closed-door hearing in the Petaling Jaya Magistrate’s Court

, since murder cases come under the High Court’s jurisdiction.

The case has fuelled calls for tougher online measures to curb rising school violence, with Malaysia’s plan to require internet users to be registered using their national identity cards receiving backlash from analysts over privacy concerns.

The victim, Yap Shing Xuen, was stabbed repeatedly on Oct 14 in a case that has shocked the nation. Nearly 500 people

attended her funeral on Oct 20

.

The Malaysian authorities had previously blamed social media for the spate of violent cases involving students, leading the Communications Ministry to propose mandatory identity verification on social media platforms to prevent children below 16 from having accounts.

Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said on Oct 16 that Malaysia will require all social media platforms to

implement an identity verification process

via the “electronic Know Your Consumer” (eKYC) system.

Under eKYC, each social media account must be tied to an individual’s government-issued identity card called MyKad. A similar system is already in use to verify online identities for banking and financial transactions.

Dr Pamela Yong from the Institute of Strategic Analysis and Policy Research (Insap) think-tank criticised the move, saying that true online safety is built through trust and education, not mass surveillance.

The Insap chairwoman called the mandatory verification scheme a “heavy-handed” means of control, which would widen public distrust of the authorities instead of addressing root causes of violence and online harm.

“These measures criticised by civil society groups have raised legitimate fears about privacy, arbitrary enforcement and political misuse,” she said in a statement on Oct 22.

“Introducing another layer of identity registration risks deepening public scepticism rather than building safer digital spaces.”

That mistrust had previously led to the slow uptake of Malaysia’s MyDigital ID, an online digital identification for Malaysians, similar to Singapore’s Singpass, which hinges on eKYC verification for identity authentication.

As at August, only 2.8 million Malaysians have registered for MyDigital ID, far behind the 13 million registration target by the year end.

In November 2024, the government mandated all social media companies operating in Malaysia to obtain licences under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, noting it was necessary to curb online scams, child sexual abuse material and bullying.

Mr Harris Zainul, the director of research at Malaysia’s Institute of Strategic and International Studies, said the measure has been ineffective so far, as not all social media platforms have complied with the licensing requirements.

With existing reluctance on compliance by social media giants, Mr Harris raised questions about who will manage the eKYC verification process. While Google and X are still in talks with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to resolve issues, other platforms like TikTok and WeChat have already complied with the licensing requirements.

“If it is the government, how will it be streamlined with the app’s operations? Alternatively, if it is by the platforms, then there’s a serious privacy risk of the government inadvertently allowing these companies to collect the official data of Malaysians,” he told The Straits Times.

The state of data security in Malaysia has also been questioned, following years of reported data breaches. These ranged from banking details, telecommunications records as well as citizenship data from the National Registration Department – all of which have gone on sale on the dark web for a paltry sum.

There is also scepticism over the effectiveness of the eKYC process on Malaysian online platforms.

The police said the two weapons bought by the accused – one of them used in the alleged murder – were purchased through an online shopping platform, raising the question of how easy it is for anyone to purchase such dangerous weapons in the country.

ST’s checks on online shopping platforms such as Lazada and Shopee since Oct 14 found no more listings for similar weapons such as combat and “kerambit” knives.

Mr Rashaad Ali, managing director at Malaysian think-tank Social and Economic Research Initiative, said: “It (eKYC) continues this trend of shifting the burden of responsibility away from platforms and onto users.

“This doesn’t address the issue of how platforms perpetuate harmful, violent and/or misogynistic content, while making the assumption that identity verification will curb the consumption of harmful content. We need to spend more time addressing content creation and dissemination on social platforms instead of acting after the fact.”

The recent fatal stabbing marked the peak of a tense few months in Malaysia that saw

cases of gang rape and

sexual molestation, as well as

deaths from alleged bullying

in schools around the country.

The government’s handling of the string of cases involving bullying and violence in schools has been criticised. A protest held by student and youth activists, called the Secretariat for Safe Schools (SSS), on Oct 22 demanded that Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek resign.

Madam Fadhlina briefly met the protesters to receive an 11-point memorandum concerning school safety issues, which outlined recommendations ranging from new laws to comprehensive sexuality education to anti-bullying training for all members of the schooling community.

“The lives of our children are once again at stake because of the failure of the education system to ensure the safety of students from sexual crimes that led to murder and rape within school compounds,” said activist Ain Husniza Saiful Nizam, on behalf of SSS.

Malaysian parents have also similarly raised concerns about the digital verification process, saying that while “sounding secure”, it raises privacy and data protection issues, especially when it involves children.

Mr Ameirul Azraie Mustadza, a father of four and chairman of a parent-teachers association, told ST that delaying full social media access until students are more emotionally mature could allow parents and schools to prepare their children for digital responsibility.

However, he warned that it is “not a silver bullet”. “I support the intent, but I’d like to see it done with balance, privacy safeguards and a strong focus on education rather than enforcement alone,” he said.

“It’s less about restriction and more about readiness.”