At the start of last month, the Ministry of Communications and Digital (K-KOMM) told telcos to block SMS that contain URL links. This was announced as a move to combat scams by preventing users from inadvertently opening malicious links under the impression that they are legit. It looks like the four major telcos of the country are putting this into effect starting today.
Of the four, Maxis has put up an FAQ page specifically for the blocking of URL in SMS. Referencing the aforementioned directive by K-KOMM, the telco says that it is starting with the blocking of “person-to-person SMS with URL link” starting today, 2 May 2023. In the same page, the telco says that if you’ve sent one that’s eligible to being blocked, you won’t be charged for it, which is fair since the attempt would be blocked anyway.
That being said, Maxis notes that this is effective immediately only for person-to person SMS. Business shorcode SMS with five numbers – with the telco highlighting 6XXXX, 2XXXX and 1XXXX, will still be able to send URL links in their text messages. These will only be blocked at an unspecified later date. If you must send a link to someone, the telco mentions that social media and messaging apps remain an option, but cautions users to be mindful when receiving messages with links in them.
At the time of writing, the other telcos do not appear to have a similar FAQ page of their own. But according to Sin Chew Daily, a K-KOMM official has confirmed that alongside Maxis, Celcom, Digi and U Mobile will also be blocking SMS with links in them. The block by these telcos will also start on the same date, that is 2 May 2023. Though it is unclear if the same gradual rollout of the block applies, with businesses only getting blocked at a later date.
(Source: Maxis, Sin Chew Daily)
