Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission mulls blocking Telegram messaging app

KUALA LUMPUR — The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) is weighing its options against messaging app Telegram, including blocking the platform.

Its chief compliance officer, Zulkarnain Mohd Yasin, said this could be necessary in order to protect users of the app, as well as to safeguard national sovereignty.

He said this was because cybercrime activities on Telegram had recorded a drastic leap and are now in the top five tiers, compared to 11th between 2019 and 2020.

He explained that drastic action may be necessary against Telegram as there are no official communication channels or contact persons for the app to raise any issues or follow-up action.

"Telegram has a high level of end-to-end encryption and enables large-scale data sharing on cloud services, which makes it popular.

"There is also no need to register, demonstrate credentials or invitation to join a chat group, neither are there administrators, which open up risks of cybercrime activities.

"This makes it the platform of choice for cyber criminals who can move from the dark web to Telegram," he said.

Mr Zulkarnain was speaking during an interview titled, 'Telegram: A Threat to Users', which aired on the Malaysian broadcast channel RTM on Monday (June 5).

Last week, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi asked the Communications and Digital Ministry to take swift action against Telegram as it refused to cooperate with the authorities on various cyber security issues, including online scams.

Telegram’s spokesperson Remi Vaughn had told the New Straits Times last month that it refused to cooperate with the ministry since the messaging app did not want to participate in "any form of political censorship".

Mr Vaughn said the messaging app has actively moderated harmful content on its platform, including the sale of illegal substances and public pornography since its launch.

Mr Vaughn said its moderators actively monitor public parts of the app as well as accept user reports through the app itself and through emails in order to remove content that breaches its terms of service.

Mr Zulkarnain also expressed concern about Telegram’s unique feature which allows users to create Telegram bots which can automatically launch cyberattacks.

These bots can also be used to hack into log entry data, passwords and others, he said.

"When a bot enters an organisation's server or network, it can accumulate confidential data.

"As users, we have to stop becoming vectors for spreading this. Do not easily share information, especially messages containing unknown links.

"Users have to be mindful of the risks. One click could invite disaster, not only to ourselves but also to our organisation and the country," he said. NEW STRAITS TIMES