Telegram Temporarily Banned in Malaysia

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has secured a temporary ban on Telegram in the country, according to an official statement on the regulator’s website.

The MCMC filed a lawsuit against two Telegram channels — “Edisi Siasat” (1.2M followers) and “Edisi Khas” (1,500 followers) — for allegedly violating the Communications and Multimedia Act. Authorities claim that the content shared in these communities undermines public trust in government institutions and threatens public order. According to Bloomberg, both channels published unverified content related to government and law enforcement agencies.

Telegram has been accused of consistent inaction despite repeated attempts by MCMC to engage. As a result, the regulator turned to the courts and obtained a temporary suspension order to halt the spread of harmful content on the platform.

According to MCMC, this marks the first legal action against a social media provider in Malaysia. The commission stated that Telegram would be given ample time to prepare its defense.