Cyberbullying ring resurfaces: New victims targeted

The dark cloud of cyberbullying has once again descended on social media as the same troll accounts allegedly responsible for the tragic death of influencer Esha have resurfaced.

These pseudonymous accounts — @Chikko_mama_edits, @drnilalinggesurrutugal, and @Unmai_Kural — are back with aggressive live sessions, spreading targeted harassment and hateful content.

Disturbingly, these same fake IDs have now directed their attacks toward journalist Swashna, who was instrumental in shedding light on Esha’s cyberbullying ordeal last year.

Swashna has reportedly faced a barrage of coordinated abuse, threats, and defamation online over the past week — a retaliation many believe is meant to silence her continued advocacy against digital hate.

The hate campaign doesn’t stop there.

Several successful women entrepreneurs from the TikTok community have become the latest victims. Notable names include Nila Linges, Panimalar Resources, and Gayathri Moorthi, who are reportedly being targeted with misogynistic content, doctored videos, and relentless trolling aimed at damaging their professional reputations and mental well-being.

In fact, well-known influencer among the Hindu community, Vimalan Nagarajan, has also been targeted by these accounts.

Although Vimalan has chosen not to engage with the pages, these troll accounts continue to slander him in various baseless and malicious ways, spreading dangerous misinformation that could have serious reputational and communal consequences.

A major concern now surfacing is the deep failure of TikTok’s content moderation system in recognizing hate speech and abuse when it is conducted in local languages.

According to multiple victims, TikTok frequently fails to flag or remove abusive content when it’s delivered in Tamil or Malay.

Even when users report videos with clearly offensive or degrading language, the platform often replies with the generic: “No violation found.”

This systemic blind spot in moderation allows toxic creators to continue exploiting cultural and linguistic loopholes. Slurs, sexualised insults, and hate speech in Tamil and Malay go unchecked — despite directly violating the platform’s global community standards.

Victims argue that this is no longer a case of oversight but algorithmic negligence that disproportionately harms users from Southeast Asian communities.

Laws have been amended to address the cyber bullying menace however social media platforms continue to allow hate speech to flourish in languages their moderation tools don’t understand or prioritize.

The core question haunting Malaysians remains: how many more lives must be lost to TikTok-fueled cyberbullying before meaningful change is enforced?

Influencer Esha’s death should have sparked systemic reform. Instead, the same perpetrators are emboldened, and the same victims silenced.

Mental health experts warn of the long-term effects. “The psychological toll is immense. Victims often suffer in silence, and by the time help comes, the damage is already done,” said Dr. Revathi Kumar, a clinical psychologist.

Public frustration is now boiling over.

Activists are not only demanding tougher laws but also urgent accountability from tech giants like TikTok, whose moderation failures continue to expose Malaysian users — particularly women, journalists, and minority influencers — to digital violence.