JOHOR BARU: As artificial intelligence (AI) scams get more sophisticated, a cyber expert says it is time for cybersecurity and digital safety education in schools.
Malaysian Cyber Consumer Association (MCCA) president Siraj J
alil (pic) said the government cannot afford to depend on short-term fixes to address the worsening situation.
“We have already amended outdated laws, such as the Communications and Multi-media Act.
“The Cybercrime Bill will be tabled in October and the Cyber Security Act was passed last year.
“We can no longer find short-term solutions. The Education Ministry must step up and introduce proper digital safety education in schools,” he said when contacted.
Siraj said while awareness campaigns by Bank Negara and the authorities are important, they are not enough.
“There is a rush to raise awareness which is a good thing, but awareness alone will not protect us. We are still seeing dozens of scam cases every day,” he pointed out.
Siraj said rapid development of AI technology makes it even more important for the authorities to act.
“Even criminals can now easily create their own language models, making it even harder to track them down,” he added.
Siraj said the Digital Education Policy introduced in 2023 lacks the fundamental pillars of cybersecurity and safety.
He suggested that the Education Ministry adopt the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s (Unesco) Digital Literacy Framework, which includes safety and well-being as key pillars.
“If you teach digital safety properly, students will spread the word and this will be a great way to build awareness,” he added.
