A teenager in Malaysia at the centre of a deepfake pornography case was reportedly held in police custody past the legal remand period, raising concerns over procedural misconduct.
The 16‑year‑old, accused of creating and distributing AI‑generated explicit images of his schoolmates, was not released on the stipulated date of Monday, 21 April, when his remand was due to expire.
Instead, he remained in custody until Wednesday, 23 April, when he was formally charged at the Magistrate’s Court.
The Malaysian teenager, dressed in a white tee, was brought before the court on 23 April after pleading guilty to possessing porn on his mobile phone.
Wong Bor Yang, the assemblyman for Senai, voiced concern outside the Johor court, insisting,
“The remand period was supposed to end at 4 pm on Monday, and he should have either been released or charged that same day. But the teen stayed in custody until today, when he was finally brought to court.”
Wong, present at the family’s request, suggested police may have erred in handling the timeline.
Investigators say the student from Foon Yew High School sold AI‑generated nudes for as little as RM2 each to roughly a dozen buyers.
The first complaint surfaced in March, after a 19‑year‑old discovered a pornographic image bearing her likeness online; by 15 April, police had logged 29 reports.
Some of the victims in Johor whose photos were abused using deepfakes.
Wong noted,
“It’s been 15 days since the student's arrest, and his parents haven’t been able to meet him properly.”
The youth faces two principal counts: distributing obscene material under Section 292 of the Penal Code and misusing network facilities under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.
Defence counsel plans to request a private meeting between the boy and his father, who was seen speaking with Wong at court.
In a related session on 23 April, the same teenager pleaded guilty to holding 14 pornographic images on his phone—an offence carrying up to three years’ jail, a fine, or both.
He denied a second charge of creating explicit content featuring a 17‑year‑old classmate, framed under Section 5 of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act.
Magistrate R. Salini allowed bail at RM4,000 (about S$1,190) per charge, with one surety, and fixed 23 June for the next court mention.
Deputy Public Prosecutor S. Thiviya leads the state’s case; the defence maintains that crucial facts remain contested.
The scandal has roiled the teenager’s former Chinese school in Johor, prompting the principal’s resignation.
Administrators have released no further details, but teachers say the campus is reviewing online safety policies as the case unfolds.
The surge in digital sex crimes has become a major concern in South Korea, with a sharp rise in cases involving the misuse of AI to create deepfake pornography.
In 2024, over 10,000 individuals sought help from the Digital Sex Crime Victim Support Centre, marking a record high since its inception in 2018.
The bulk of these cases involves deepfake pornography, where artificial intelligence is used to manipulate images and videos into explicit content, often targeting minors.
The rise in such cases, which soared by 227% from 423 incidents in 2023 to 1,384 in 2024, has left authorities concerned about the vulnerability of young people.
Teenagers and young adults, primarily those in their twenties, make up the majority of victims.
The government's response includes expanding support services and raising awareness, but challenges remain, particularly with the growing accessibility of AI tools that facilitate this abuse.
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