politics
Malaysia’s Upper House Approves Cybercrimes Bill 2026
The Dewan Negara passed the legislation on July 20 after lower house approval earlier in the month. It will replace the 1997 Computer Crimes Act once it receives royal assent.
Jul 21, 4:55 AM·1m read1 source
South China Morning PostAudio version
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Malaysia’s upper house approved the Cybercrimes Bill 2026 on July 20, South China Morning Post reported. The Dewan Negara vote followed passage by the Dewan Rakyat, the lower house, on July 1. The bill had been tabled in parliament on June 22.
The legislation will replace the Computer Crimes Act 1997, which was enacted nearly three decades before smartphones, online banking, platform scams and generative artificial intelligence became widespread. It moves the measure closer to becoming law, pending royal assent and gazettement.
Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi told parliament during the second reading on July 20 that 8,014 charges related to online fraud were recorded between January and May 2026.
That total already exceeded the 6,140 charges recorded for all of 2025. Ahmad Zahid said the figures showed online fraud was increasing in both frequency and the financial losses inflicted on victims. “Therefore, there is an urgent need to enact a comprehensive cybercrime law to deal with cybercrime more effectively, in line with the increasingly complex and sophisticated cybersecurity threat landscape,” he said.
