It is the government's intention to table a bill in parliament that would make cyberstalking and cyberbullying specific crimes, Justice Minister Jonathan Attard said in parliament as he replied to a parliamentary question.

The minister added that the government is also studying other emerging crimes in digital security and cybersecurity, such as deepfake technology, identity theft, and CEO scams.

Attard said that deepfake technology utilises artificial intelligence in order to create fake videos or images intended to look realistic. He added that this is often done by superimposing an individual's face on another body that is not their own.

He commented that such use of deepfake technology obviously raises serious ethical and legal concerns, and added that such situations can lead to reputational damage and emotional distress.

On the matter of identity theft, Attard said that this is also an emerging crime which leads to serious damage to individuals as well as financial institutions. He continued that CEO scams are instances where criminals may impersonate high-ranking officials within a company, such as a CEO, in order to deceive employees into transferring money or sensitive information.

With that in mind, Attard remarked that digital technology has brought with it new challenges in security and privacy.

The Justice Minister concluded that while awareness and education are important, the Ministry for Justice believes in proactive legislative measures and is looking at the experiences of other countries, trends in crime, and the necessary legal framework to address the issue.