Invisible Chains: Exposing Child Exploitation Networks on Malaysian Social Media

As AI image-generation tools become widely accessible, an alarming shadow market is expanding across Malaysia’s digital spaces. This investigation examines how artificial intelligence is being used to create, amplify, and circulate child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on platforms such as Telegram and X.

Malaysiakini combines open-source intelligence (OSINT), image-forensic techniques, and interviews with survivors, advocates, and platform experts to build the first verifiable record of AI-driven exploitation networks in Malaysia. The reporting maps how content flows across platforms, identifies the mechanisms that enable anonymity and evasion, and documents platform responses, or the lack thereof.

Beyond exposure, the project seeks to translate findings into concrete accountability: clarifying where platform moderation fails, and informing policy discussions. By showing how technology can normalize abuse when left unchecked, this work aims to spark policy and platform change and to protect children from becoming invisible victims of a rapidly evolving digital threat.