Racheal Lee
Jun 9, 2011

MCMC to censor internet in Malaysia?

KUALA LUMPUR – A letter seemingly from the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) suggests certain file sharing websites may soon be blocked in the country.

The letter has prompted much discussion online
The letter has prompted much discussion online

In the letter dated 30 May this year, MCMC requests "all internet service providers (ISPs) in Malaysia block access to the websites” stated under Section 263 (1) and section 263 (2) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.

The list includes torrent and file-sharing sites including thepiratebay.org and megavideo.com.

The document, now circulating the internet in Malaysia, comes just a month after Prime Minister Najib Razak repeated his promise that his administration would not censor the internet during the first Malaysian-ASEAN Regional Bloggers Conference.

The authenticity of the document is unknown. A check with residents in Malaysia found that they are still able to access to the above-mentioned websites, which typically host a mixture of legal material and illegal copyright-violating files. But it has been reported that testing via P1 Wimax broadband, offered by ISP Green Packet, shows these websites to be blocked.

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