Associate Professor Jaspal Kaur Sadhu Singh

I have been teaching since 1996 and held the position of Associate Professor at a private university in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, prior to joining CCCU in December 2022.

I hold a Phd in Law from Aberystwyth University, with an LLB (Hons) (University of London) and an LLM (National University of Malaysia). I am also a non-practising Advocate and Solicitor of the High Court of Malaya.

I have been teaching law since September 1996 – delivering undergraduate and postgraduate courses both in Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong (on home-grown programmes or with partner institutions in the UK and Australia) including holding the position of Head of the Law Department from January 2001to February 2004. My research interests address challenges perambulating free speech and expression, and legal and ethical debates involving data governance, ethics, and AI.

As a subject matter expert specialising in AI governance (legal and ethical) my current research focuses on AI-generated content and electoral integrity, AI-facilitated gender-based violence, legal literacy of Generative AI in higher education, and the evolution of new human rights in the age of AI, with a focus on Southeast Asia.

I contributed to Malaysian National Guidelines on AI Governance & Ethics for Responsible AI (AIGE) as a member of the Working Committee on AI Governance and Ethics of the Malaysian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.

I was invited to contribute as a member of the Working Group on AI Policy and Regulation with the National AI Office (NAIO) of Malaysia, a division of the Digital Ministry. The work for NAIO is essential in the development of AI policies and legal trajectories around AI governance in Malaysia. I was the architect of the Policy Brief submitted as part of her contribution to the NAIO Working Group titled “The Legal Governance Approach for Malaysia: A Proposal for a High-Level Principles-Based AI Act”. I am frequently consulted to guide the development of AI policies and legal governance in Malaysia. I conducted a session titled “Risk-Based Approach in AI Governance” at a Workshop for the Development of the AI Governance Bill organised by NAIO for Malaysian regulators in December 2025.

I actively write op-eds on current debates, conducts workshops on models of AI governance and speaks at public engagements to raise awareness of the opportunities and challenges of governing this technology.

For the undergraduate modules, I am currently leading the teaching of Public Law, Employment Law and Internet, Law and Society (LLB), and have contributed to Women and Crime and the English Legal System. As a result of developing a new module in 2023, my teaching currently includes AI Governance: Law and Policy on the LLM programme at Canterbury Christ Church University.

In my previous institution, I have taught on the following subjects - Malaysian Legal System, Employment Law, ICT and E-Commerce Law, Data Governance Law (Malaysian LLB); E-Commerce Law, Employment Law (Australian Business Degree Programme); IT, Law, and Ethics, E-Commerce Law (Australian Master Programmes); Legal Method & System (UK Degree Transfer Programme).

In Malaysia, Jaspal was a recipient of two grants in 2021 as a Lead Researcher. The MCMC awarded her the Digital Society Research Grant (DSRG) to develop ‘Recommendations for the creation of a governance framework for the protection of personal data used in the development of AI systems’ and by the Ministry of Higher Education, with the prestigious Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS) for the research project ‘Aligning a national AI ethics framework with Malaysian values to govern the development and deployment of trustworthy and responsible AI systems in Malaysia’.

My research collaborator and I developed the first Malaysia AI Ethics Index 2021, cited in the Malaysia AI Blueprint 2021. I contributed to a public consultation document titled ‘National Guidelines on AI Governance & Ethics for Responsible AI (AIGE), MPC (Malaysian Productivity Corporation) and MOSTI (Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation) published in February 2024 which saw my work acknowledged as one of the contributors, including having my writings referenced, in the final version of the AIGE published in September 2024. I was one of the experts consulted and appointed as the expert reviewer of the report titled ‘AI Governance in Malaysia: Risks, Challenges and Pathways Forward’ published by the Khazanah Research Institute in January 2025.

I was invited to contribute as a member of the Working Group on AI Policy and Regulation with the National AI Office (NAIO) of Malaysia, a division of the Digital Ministry. The work for NAIO is essential in the development of AI policies and legal trajectories around AI governance in Malaysia. I was the architect of the Policy Brief submitted as part of her contribution to the NAIO Working Group titled “The Legal Governance Approach for Malaysia: A Proposal for a High-Level Principles-Based AI Act”.

My most recent work was her Working Paper titled “Enabling AI in Law Enforcement: Making a Case for the Adoption of a Human Rights Principles-Based Approach” at the international conference on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights: Opportunities, Risks and Visions for a Better Future” in Doha, Qatar, held in May 2025. The conference was convened by Qatar’s National Human Rights Commission, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme, and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, amongst others, which led to the Doha Declaration on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights 2025, where the proposals of her working paper were endorsed.

Research Supervision and External Examination

I act as an external examiner for doctoral and postgraduate research within my research expertise, namely, technology law. Current Project as Research Supervisor: Intersections of Temporality: Examining the Nexus of Generative AI, Cultural Heritage and Copyright Law in the Digital Age. Researcher(s): Ms Dilyana Ivanova. Supervisor(s): Associate Professor Jaspal Kaur Sadhu Singh, Dr Narissa Ramsundar. [Postgraduate Research Project]

Conference Presentations:

‘Recommendations for the creation of a governance framework for the protection of personal data used in the development of AI systems in Malaysia’, presented at Law, Technology, and Diversity in Asia, 18th Asian Law Institute Conference, Universitas Pelita Harapan, Indonesia, 15 to 17 September 2021.

‘Public Health Crisis & Surveillance at the Workplace: Employers’ new duty of data governance’, presented at Privacy, COVID & the Workplace Conference, LAWASIA Virtual Annual Conference 2021, 15-18 November 2021.

‘Recommendations for the creation of a governance framework for the protection of personal data used in the development of AI systems’ presented at MCMC Research Symposium Series No.9 2021, 1 December 2021 & MCMC DSRG Symposium, 30 August 2022.

‘Challenges of Adopting National Values in an AI Ethical Framework: Incompatibility with Universal Values’ presented at the Society of Legal Scholars Annual Conference, Oxford Brookes University, 27-30 June 2023, Oxford, UK

‘Reflections on Legal and Ethical Challenges of Generative AI Technology as a Learning and Teaching Tool’ presented at CCCU Learning and Teaching Conference 2023: Human Intelligence in an Age of AI, Canterbury Christ Church University, 15 November 2023, Canterbury, UK‘

Use of Generative AI Tools in Teaching and Learning in Secondary Education: Developing a Guidance to Improve Legal Literacy’, presented at BILETA (British and Irish Law Education and Technology Association), Dublin City University, Ireland, 18-19 April 2024.

‘Rise of Online Citizen Journalism’ and ‘Legal And Ethical Questions Around AI in Journalism’, presented at Sarawak Media Conference (SMeC 2024), organised by the Sarawak State Public Communication Unit (UKAS), 26-27 May 2024."

‘Enhancing Electoral Integrity and Democracy: Implementing Legal Measures for Content Provenance and Labelling of AI-generated Content’, presented at Information Law & Policy Centre (ILPC) Annual Conference 2024, Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, London, 21-22 November 2024.

‘Responsible Business Transformation in Adopting AI Governance Measures’, presented at the 7th Global Entrepreneurship and Innovation Conference (GEIC), hosted at CCCU, Canterbury, 15-16 July 2024.

‘Safeguarding Individual Rights in AI Governance: Bridging International Law and Emerging Principles for ASEAN’, at CCCU Annual Law Conference, Canterbury, 19 March 2025

Co-presenter, ‘Empowering the Election Commission to Manage AI-generated Content: A Consideration for Future Elections in Malaysia’, presented at BILETA (British and Irish Law Education and Technology Association), Goldsmiths University, London, 3-4 April 2025

‘Enabling AI in Law Enforcement: Making a Case for the Adoption of a Human Rights Principles-Based Approach’, International Conference on “Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights: Opportunities, Risks, and Visions for a Better Future”, 27 to 28 May in Doha, convened by the Qatar National Human Rights Committee, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions. The conference led to the adoption of the Doha Declaration on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights.

‘Criminal Justice Reforms: Ensuring Ethical AI in Criminal Justice Proceedings’, ASEAN Law Forum 2025, in conjunction with Malaysia's ASEAN Chairmanship in 2025, organised by the Legal Affairs Division of the Prime Minister's Department (BHEUU, JPM), in collaboration with ASEAN, Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 19 to 21 August 2025.

‘The Artificial Intelligence Frontier: New Threats and Investigative Opportunities for TFGBV’, Global Policy Dialogue on TF-GBV, Bangkok, Thailand, 27-28 November, organised by UNDP.

 

Publications 

Contributing Editor 

Annotated Statutes of Malaysia, Malayan Law Journal (Lexis Nexis): 

• Information Technology Law, 2005 & 2009 editions - Computer Crimes Act, Digital Signatures Act and Telemedicine Act  
• 2008 edition - Excise Act 1976, Service Tax Act 1975 and Environmental Quality Act 1974 
• 2009 edition – Civil Law Act 

Halsbury’s Laws of Malaysia, Malayan Law Journal (Lexis Nexis): 

• Tort, Gaming and Betting – 2007 edition 
• Constitutional Law, Administrative Law – 2009 edition

Articles 

1. Making A Case for Internet Censorship: Weighing the Balance In A World Divided  (2006) HELP Law Review, Vol 1 
2. The Paradoxical State of No Free Speech in Free Space: Blocking the Bloggers (2007) HELP Law Review, Vol 2  
3. Rethinking the Throwing of the Legal Gauntlet on Citizen Journalism on the Net  (2009) HELP Law Review, Vol 3  
4. A Clash of Values: Impact on Citizen Journalism on the Internet - Meandering Through the Anonymity versus Accountability Debate (2012) HELP Law Review, Vol 5 
5. Elder Law: Understanding filial piety – A precursor, Malaysian Bar Council Newsletter, Issue 3, January 2016 
6. The Introduction of the Fourth Estate into Malaysian Jurisprudence and its impact on Political Libel: A Prefatory View (2016) Journal of Malaysian and Comparative Law, Vol 43(2) [ERA] 
7. Free Speech, Constitutional Interpretation, and Sedition in Malaysia: Taking a rights-expansive approach (2020) Journal of Malaysian and Comparative Law, Vol 46(1) [ERA] 
8. The Use of Pre-Action Discovery in Disclosing the Identity of Anonymous Speakers in Defamation Suits: The Law So Far and The Potential Constitutional Deliberations [2020] 2 Malayan Law Journal cviii  
9. AI, Law and Ethics: The Emergence of a New Discourse in the Legal Thoroughfare [2020] 5 Malayan Law Journal i 
10. An AI Ethical Framework for Malaysia: A Much-Needed Governance Tool for Reducing Risks and Liabilities Arising from AI Systems [2021] 3 Malayan Law Journal cdxiv 

Feature Articles/Op-Eds 

1. “Ethical dilemma behind AI” 

a) The New Straits Times, 3 September 2019 (print & online)  https://www.nst.com.my/opinion/columnists/2019/09/518491/ethical-dilemma-behind-ai 

b) “Data Governance and Ethics: Technology’s potential to incorporate human values”, JUST, 6 August 2019 https://www.just-international.org/mediastatement/data-governance-and-ethics-technologys-potential-to-incorporate-human-values/  

2. “Is there a place for ethics in Smart Cities?” 

a) JUST, 5 November 2019 https://www.just-international.org/mediastatement/is-there-a-place-for-ethics-in-smart-cities/ 

b) Countercurrents.org, 7 November  https://countercurrents.org/2019/11/is-there-a-place-for-ethics-in-smart-cities 

c) Global Research, 7 November  https://www.globalresearch.ca/place-ethics-smart-cities/5694230 

d) The New Straits Times, 10 November 2019 (print & online)  https://www.nst.com.my/opinion/columnists/2019/11/537112/there-place-ethics-smart-cities 

3. “Human conscience in algorithmic regulation: How asking ethical questions will determine altruism in AI”  Forum, The Edge Malaysia Weekly, on February 17, 2020 - February 23, 2020  https://www.theedgemarkets.com/article/how-asking-ethical-questions-will-determine-altruism-ai 

4. “AI and Predictive Justice in our Courts: Paying heed to exigencies of the responsibilities and the risks”

a) Countercurrents.org, 5 February 2020  https://countercurrents.org/2020/02/ai-and-predictive-justice-in-our-courts-paying-heed-to-exigencies-of-the-responsibilities-and-the-risks/ 

b) Global Research, 6 February 2020  https://www.globalresearch.ca/ai-predictive-justice-our-courts/5702855 

c) The New Straits Times, 15 February 2020 (print & online)  https://www.nst.com.my/opinion/columnists/2020/02/565890/ethical-questions-risks-using-ai-predictive-justice 

5. “The Evolution of Zoom as a Communication Platform during the Pandemic: At a rate of knots”  https://www.just-international.org/mediastatement/the-evolution-of-zoom-as-a-communication-platform-during-the-pandemic-at-a-rate-of-knots/ (online) 25 August, 2020 

6. “AI and the Workplace: Maintaining workers’ dignity”

a) JUST, 4 June 2021 http://www.just-international.org/mediastatement/ai-and-the-workplace-maintaining-workers-dignity/ 

b) The New Straits Times, 8 June 2021 (print & online) – Abridged version  “Maintaining dignity of employees in navigating the AI revolution” https://api.nst.com.my/opinion/columnists/2021/06/697072/maintaining-dignity-employees-navigating-ai-revolution 

Reports

Contributor, Malaysian AI Blueprint Annual Report 2021 (BIGIT). Available at https://www.bigittechnology.com/malaysia-ai-blueprint-2021/

Co-Researcher, Malaysia AI Ethics Maturity Report 2021 - Ethical Standards Towards a Trustworthy AI: A Measurement to Determine AI Maturity

Recommendations for the Creation of A Governance Framework for the Protection of Personal Data Used in the Development of AI Systems (Digital Research Grant, Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, Media Matters Volume 5, 83-97)

Conferences 

Paper titled ‘Citizen Journalism on the Internet: A Taste of Freedom of Expression - the Malaysian Experience’ presented at the Annual Student Human Rights Conference 2009 - Beyond Words: Freedom of Expression and its Contemporary Challenges, 14 March 2009, University of Nottingham. 

 Paper titled ‘Digital Citizen Media in Malaysia: Advocacy by technology, suppression by law’ presented at BILETA (British & Irish Law, Education and Technology Association) 2009: To Infinity and Beyond: law and Technology in Harmony, 21-23 April 2009, University of Winchester.  

 Paper titled ‘Cyberdissidentship rising: Tensions between the State and Social Media’ presented at the Annual Staff-Student Law Conference 2010 (A Conference of Law Schools in Wales) 26-28 February 2010, Gregynog, Wales.  

 Paper titled ‘NightJack’s case: A chilling effect on blogging and blogger’s rights…or perhaps not.’ presented at BILETA (British & Irish Law, Education and Technology Association) 2010: Globalisation, Internet and the Law, 29-30 March 2010, University of Vienna, Austria.  

 Paper titled ‘Legal and Policy Responses to Social Media: Case of Hits or Misses?’ presented at 5th International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, 2-5 August 2010, Cambridge University.  

 Paper titled ‘Critical Challenges to Free Expression: How critical are these to social media actors?’ presented at the Annual Society of Legal Scholars Conference, 13-16 September 2010, Southampton University. 

 Paper titled ‘After the fitful fever, what’s life for WikiLeaks after the WikiDump: New conundrums for social media’, presented at BILETA 2011: Harnessing technology’s full potential; minimising potential threats, 11-12 April 2011, Manchester Metropolitan. 

 Paper titled “A Clash of Values: Impact on Citizen Journalism on the Internet – Meandering through the Anonymity versus Accountability debate” presented at Fourth Northumbria Information Rights Conference, 6 June 2011, Northumbria University. 

 Paper titled “Prosecuting Speech on Social Media Platforms: Seeking guidance from the UK guidelines’ presented at the International Conference of Law & Justice, 24 June 2013, Colombo, Sri Lanka. 

 Paper titled “Hiding Elephants in Mouseholes: Influence of Gatekeeping of Social Media Platforms on Social Media Activity” presented at UiTM’s International Conference on Law, Policy and Social Justice, 10-11 September 2014, Penang, Malaysia. 

 Paper titled “The Need for Developing a Defence of Public Interest in Protecting Speech in Malaysia: Making a Case” presented at the Centre for Media and Communications Law, Law School, Melbourne University’s IP and Media Law Conference, 23-24 November, Melbourne, Australia. 

 Paper titled “The Development of Malaysian Defamation Law - The Progressive Influence of English Common Law” presented at SLS 2016 Annual Conference, St Catherine’s College, University of Oxford, 6-9 September 2016, Oxford, UK. 

 Paper titled “Constitutional Protection of Free Speech and Fake News Prosecution 
in Malaysia: The challenges ahead” presented at the 5th Winchester Conference on Trust, Risk, Information & the Law, University of Winchester, 25 April, Winchester, UK 

 Paper titled “The Malaysian Anti-Fake News Act 2018 – A Premature Gestation” presented at the Society of Legal Scholars Annual Conference, Queen Mary University of London, 4th and 5th September 2018, London, UK 

Paper titled “Formulating the Legal Parameters for the Regulation of Online Falsehoods”, MCMC Research Symposium (Malaysia on the Cusp of Hyperconnectivity), Marriott Putrajaya, 21 November 2019, Putrajaya, Malaysia 

Paper titled “Ethical Principles for AI: Pushing the agenda for adopting a framework for governance in Malaysia”, MCMC Research Symposium (Malaysia on the Cusp of Hyperconnectivity), Marriott Putrajaya, 21 November 2019, Putrajaya, Malaysia 

Paper titled “Drawing up a national ethical framework for the development and deployment of trustworthy and responsible AI: Not a case of one-size-fits-all”, presented at Society of Law Scholars 2020 Annual Conference, University of Exeter, 1-4 September 2020 (Virtual). 

Paper titled “Recommendations for the creation of a governance framework for the protection of personal data used in the development of AI systems in Malaysia”, presented at Law, Technology, and Diversity in Asia, 18th Asian Law Institute Conference, Universitas Pelita Harapan, Indonesia, 15 to 17 September 2021. 

Paper titled “Public Health Crisis & Surveillance at the Workplace: Employers’ new duty of data governance”, presented at Privacy, COVID & the Workplace Conference, LAWASIA Virtual Annual Conference 2021, 15-18 November 2021. 

Research Paper titled “Recommendations for the creation of a governance framework for the protection of personal data used in the development of AI systems” presented at MCMC Research Symposium Series No.9 2021, 1 December 2021 & MCMC DSRG Symposium, 30 August 2022. 

 

Research Projects 

Internal Research Grants (HELP University, Kuala Lumpur)  

2016: Developing a defence of public interest in protecting speech in Malaysia: Guidance from the UK Experience. 

 2018: Fake News and the Law: Developing a framework of prosecutorial guidelines for prosecuting the production, publication and distribution of fake news on information intermediaries' platforms in Malaysia. 

 

External Grants 

15 July 2021 – 15 April 2022:
MCMC’s Digital Society Research Grant [Completed]
Title: Recommendations for the creation of a governance framework for the protection of personal data used in the development of AI systems

7 September 2021 – 6 September 2023:
Ministry of Higher Education’s Fundamental Research Grant (FRGS) [Terminated owing to move to Canterbury Christ Church University]
Title: Aligning a national AI ethics framework with Malaysian values to govern the development and deployment of trustworthy and responsible AI systems in Malaysia

 

Visiting Scholar 

2012: Visiting Scholar, School of Law, Northumbria University, November 2012 

2014: Visiting Scholar, School of Law, Leeds University, November 2014 

2016: Visiting Scholar, School of Law, Leeds University, January 2016 

2018: Visiting Scholar, School of Journalism, Cardiff University, April 2018 

2019: Visiting Scholar, School of Law, University of West of Bristol, 26 January- 8 February 2019 

1. Member of the Malaysian Ministry of Science and Technology's Working Committee on Governance and Ethics

I contributed to the Malaysia’s National Guidelines on AI Ethics and Governance (AIGE), published on 20 September 2024. I have been cited as a contributor (including CCCU) in the AIGE, and my published work has been cited in the Reference section.

2. National AI Office (NAIO), Malaysian Digital Ministrya. Member of Regulation and Policy Working Group

I was a contributor to the Working Group’s Report and was the architect of:

• Policy Brief titled “The Legal Governance Approach For Malaysia: A Proposal For A High-Level Principles-Based AI Act” submitted on behalf of the Working Group.
• Member of TC-17 Standards Committee (on-going)

3. Working Group Member, Development of AI Guidelines on Personal Data Protection, Department of Personal Data Protection Malaysia (2025/2026)

The following are a selection of my speaking engagements and guest lectures:

• Panellist, “Data Governance Dos and Don'ts at What is Data Governance (and why do you need it)?”, Malaysia Tech Week (MDEC), 20 June 2019
• Presenter, “How ethics must play a role in Algorithmic Regulation as a Tool of Government”, Enterprise Architecture & Artificial Intelligence Conference (IASA & MDEC), 29 August 20197.   
• Panellist, “Information, transparency and fake news in the algorithmic society: public and private governance after Cambridge Analytica”, IBA Seoul, Korea, 26 September 2019
• Panellist, Smart Cities v Ethical Cities Debate (Maxis Innovation Dialogue), 30 September 2019
• Panellist, “Ethics in Artificial Intelligence”, BEYOND4 Fest, 10 December 2019
• Panellist, “Government Accountability during COVID-19: The Citizen's Right to Know” LAWASIA, 9 June 2020 (Virtual)
•  Co-Presenter, “AI Ethics Applied: Trends and Issues in applying Ethics Frameworks in AI Development”, 8th Annual Data Science Show, BIGIT & Disruptive Tech Institute, 22-23 September 2020, Kuala Lumpur (Virtual)
• Panellist, Women and Data, at the DataKITA.Pulse, organised by Data Ecosystem Development Division (MDEC), Malaysia Tech Month, 20 November 2020 (Virtual)
• Co-Presenter, Keynote Address, “The Confluence of Ethical Maturity with AI Adoption: Nudging Organisations Towards Trustworthy AI”, BIGIT 2021, the 9th Annual Data Science Show, 16 November 2020 (Virtual)
• Featured Speaker, “Ethics and Artificial Intelligence”, AIWS (AI World Summit) MyFinB & CE.A.I, 1 December 2021 (Virtual)
• Co-Presenter, “The State of AI: Law. Ethics. And…”, Knowledge Sharing, Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), Digital Innovation Division, 3 December 2021 (Virtual)
• Co-presenter and Panellist, “Discover the AI in Your Life”, Canterbury Christ Church University, 14 September 2023
• Co-Presenter, Beyond Boundaries – Unravelling the Future of Robotics and AI, Skills Forward Conference, Discovery Park, Kent, 31 October 2023
• Chair, “AI Governance: An Overview of the Emerging Field and What Businesses Need to Know” and “Workshop on AI Assurance Techniques and Standards”, AI for Business Conference & Enterprise Conference, CCCU, Canterbury, 16 May 2025. Presenters included Arcangelo Leone De Castris & Shakir Laher (Alan Turing Institute).
• Panellist, Forum titled ‘Is AI the biggest threat to democracy and personal freedom we have faced?’ Chaired by Lord James Knight, ACT Teaching Citizenship Conference, London, 26 June 2024 (https://www.teachingcitizenship.org.uk/event/act-teaching-citizenship-conference-2024/)
• Workshop, “A better friend, a better cheater or a better tutor? Generative AI and the Law”, ACT Teaching Citizenship Conference, London, 26 June 2024"