KUALA LUMPUR: The Telegram channel “Edisi Siasat,“ which featured information related to alleged misconduct by authorities, has been inaccessible to users of the platform since this afternoon.
A Bernama check on the channel found a message displayed stating, “Doesn’t exist, this channel cannot be displayed as it goes against Malaysian law.” It was also observed that all content had been deleted, believed to be blocked by the authorities.
However, at 8 pm tonight, Bernama’s check on the platform found a new account using the name “Edisi Siasat 2.0,“ believed to have been created by the same administrator. As of now, this new account has more than 2,000 followers.
Earlier, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) filed civil action against two channels on the Telegram platform, namely “Edisi Siasat” and “Edisi Khas.”
MCMC stated today that this action is the first of its kind taken against a social media platform provider, especially since Telegram is an Application Service Provider (Class) [ASP(C)] license holder.
“This follows Telegram’s alleged failure to address content that has been repeatedly reported to them, despite various negotiations and cooperation efforts made by MCMC,“ the statement said.
Both channels were identified as disseminating content that violates provisions under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, which has the potential to erode public trust in public institutions and disrupt social order.
