The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has issued a statement to the media this evening, announcing that it has been mandated to regulate the communications and multimedia industry to protect the public, especially those vulnerable to online harm. The commission reveals that it has been working closely with local service providers to improve and strengthen prevention and protection measures, including in aspects of Domain Name System (DNS) management.
The statement appears to be a response to a recent report by Sinar Project, which alleged that local internet service providers (ISPs) may have implemented a transparent DNS proxy, likely under MCMC’s instructions. With this in place, users can no longer utilise public DNS servers such as those operated by Google (8.8.8.8) and Cloudflare (1.1.1.1) in order to access websites restricted by the commission. Utilising alternate DNS will instead be automatically rerouted back to those operated by the ISPs.
MCMC explains that its collaboration with service providers is intended to ensure a safe online environment, further guaranteeing the safety of all levels of users. The move is in line with the 10 National Policy Goals under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (AKM 1998), which include ensuring information security and network reliability as well as integrity.
The commission emphasised that this effort also requires a “holistic whole-of-nation approach” from the public in order not to bypass available protection mechanisms. It warned that going against this could result in a negative impact on individuals and families, especially teenagers and children
MCMC adds that from January 2022 to August 2024, a total of 10,423 websites have been blocked following violations of the law, with 95.7% of which involved online gambling, pornography, copyright infringement, illegal investment, and even online prostitution. It insisted that these restrictions also play a critical role in curbing other crimes such as human trafficking, child abduction, the sale of prohibited substances such as drugs, and other organised crimes.
(Source: MCMC press release)
