Community Policing Crucial In Combating Child Pornography Threats - Expert

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 26 (Bernama) -- Community policing is an essential approach in addressing the possession and use of illicit materials in the country, such as pornography, particularly when it involves children, according to an information technology (IT) expert.

Pertama Digital Berhad IT Service Management Specialist Dr T Sashi Kumar says relying solely on the expertise of authorities or agencies is insufficient to tackle the issue effectively.

"We need to combine the expertise of the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), CyberSecurity Malaysia, and also community policing, which is very important today.

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"When members of the community using the Internet become aware of sources or channels distributing illicit materials, there needs to be a mechanism for them to report or provide information, so that the management of intelligence resources can be more effective," he told Bernama.

At the same time, Sashi Kumar expressed concern over the possession and use of child pornography, as anyone could gain access to such materials through various channels, including non-mainstream ones like the dark web.

He said this was because such channels could not be comprehensively monitored as they were outside the radar of enforcement, control, and supervision by the relevant authorities.

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"What we need to do is change the way we monitor the possession and use of these videos, not just relying on conventional methods like reports or regular enforcement.

"Instead, we need to have some intelligence by using deeper surveillance or moles to try to identify where these illicit videos or materials are stored and distributed," he said.

Yesterday, the Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Razarudin Husain, announced that 13 local men, including an elderly person, had been arrested on suspicion of committing online sexual offences involving child sexual abuse material (CSAM) in raids across six states.

Examinations of devices used at the residences of all the suspects, aged between 20 and 74, revealed an estimated 40,000 CSAM files and pornographic materials.

Commenting on cybersecurity, Sashi Kumar said that the main challenge at present was the increasing sophistication of hackers compared to the companies or software used to protect cybersecurity, due to the rapid development of anti-security measures.

As a result, he said that the dynamic changes occurring in the hacking environment or security compromises must be given appropriate attention.

"There are many standards for software or security control systems, but the changes in the hacker environment are very dynamic and fast. So, whenever new information is detected by a company, they need to share the type of attack they encountered.

"With this, other security service providers can immediately improve their security systems to address the issue. It is also necessary to report to authorities like CyberSecurity Malaysia so they can share the latest information on the breach with all users in their network," he said.

Meanwhile, the information technology expert also said that the Cybersecurity Act 2024 (Act 854) provided an opportunity for more comprehensive enforcement in addressing any issues related to cybersecurity, including hacking, cyberbullying, and scams.

"In the context of Malaysia, the Cybersecurity Act 2024 is a good law to address the problems we face and I believe stricter enforcement of this Act will curb any issues we may encounter in cybersecurity," he said.

-- BERNAMA