M'sian teacher draws flak for invading students' privacy for TikTok

Jun 23, 2023 08:15 pm

The Malaysian "celebrity" teacher used her students to sell sweets to her 1.5 million followers on TikTok.

For that, Ms Shi Qi, who goes by the moniker Qiwiie on TikTok, earned the ire of netizens who accused her of violating the students' privacy.

Ms Shi Qi admitted in her apology video that the clip was meant to be sponsored content for a product that was filmed during school break time.

She filmed herself going through her students' bags and showing the contents to the camera.

She also pulled out a bag of gummies from a student's bag and ate one.

"I placed the gummies into the bags before the shoot. I looked through the students' bags, took out a gummy, and ate it."

Currently, principals and vice-principals are rotated every five to seven years.

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"I did not seek consent before opening the bags as they were used as props. This is an oversight and my fault, which I deeply regret," she said.

Ms Shi Qi said that she deleted the clip within 20 minutes of uploading it but mentioned that it was still being circulated online. She has also deleted other videos which she filmed with her students.

A Twitter user later raised privacy concerns with Ms Shi Qi's original video on Monday, and tagged Malaysian Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek, reported The Star.

The minister said on Tuesday that her ministry will monitor developments on the issue, and will consider an intervention or other appropriate measures if it receives any complaints.

Responding to the criticism, the Kuala Lumpur-based private school teacher wrote in her apology video uploaded on Wednesday, "I would like to apologise to the parents and individuals who were offended by a recent video I posted. I am really sorry.

"I am new to content creating and I am still learning. This is not an excuse. I am honestly very grateful to everyone who has brought this issue up and I will take this as a lesson to be more mindful and conscientious in the future," she wrote.

"I will take this time to reflect on my future content plans so I can do better for my students."

Some netizens accepted her apology after deeming that she was sincerely remorseful.

"Remorse shown, with corrective and preventative measures taken, her apology is very heartfelt and should be accepted," said one netizen.