KUALA LUMPUR — The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has, for the first time, filed a civil action against Telegram due to the content of two channels on the social media platform, Edisi Siasat and Edisi Khas, which have been identified as potentially undermining public trust in institutions and disrupting public order.
In a statement, MCMC said that this follows Telegram’s serious failure to restrain content that has been repeatedly reported to them, despite various negotiation and cooperation efforts by the Commission.
“Both channels have been identified as disseminating content that is found to violate provisions under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998,” the statement read, confirming that it is the first such action taken against a social media platform provider.
Due to the unsatisfactory level of compliance, the MCMC has applied for and successfully obtained an interim injunction from the High Court as a last resort to stop the dissemination of harmful content and prevent the republication of similar content.
The Commission added that legal action was taken to ensure the rule of law is upheld and the public interest continues to be protected.
Telegram, which holds an Application Service (Class) [“ASP (C)”] licence, will be given due opportunity to present its defence in accordance with the principles of justice and fundamental rights.
“The MCMC, as a regulatory body, would like to remind all social media platform providers that they are responsible for the content published in their respective digital spaces,” it said, adding that it would not hesitate to take similar action against other platforms to ensure the safety and well-being of users continues to be protected.
The MCMC remains committed to ensuring that the country’s digital space remains safe, ethical and in line with the law.
It is understood that the social media platform has frequently shared contentious information from the public about gambling activities and other illegal activities. – June 19, 2025