KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 9 — Messaging platform Telegram has been urged to cooperate with the government to tackle criminal activities that have been widely using the platform, as highlighted recently by the United Nations (UN).
Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) held a meeting with Telegram on September 18 and will continue talks to address the issue.
“I can see that several forms of crime are still rampant on the Telegram platform, such as investment scams, drug sales, pornography, crimes against children, and sexual materials involving children.
“We are hoping Telegram can cooperate on these aspects… and we are closely following what is happening in France,” he told a press conference after attending the 2024 World Post Day celebration here today.
Fahmi said, for now, the government has no intention of taking action against any Telegram staff, as long as they cooperate.
The minister said all social media platforms have been given two months to register with the MCMC and review the contents of the first draft of the Social Media Platform Code of Conduct, which is expected to be completed this month.
He said social media platforms that meet the criteria, namely, having more than eight million users but fail to register for licensing, could face legal action.
“Recently, I had a bilateral meeting with the French Ambassador to Malaysia, H.E. Axel Cruau, and our discussions touched on the actions taken by the courts in France against Telegram.
“It has been widely reported and known that Telegram is now more willing to cooperate with enforcement agencies, regulatory bodies, and even governments on certain matters,” he said.
Reuters reported that the UN revealed powerful criminal networks in Southeast Asia have been using the Telegram app extensively, enabling a fundamental shift in how organised crime conducts large-scale illegal activities.
The UN, through its Office on Drugs and Crime, made the allegations against Telegram since France, using a tough new law with no international equivalent, charged Telegram boss Pavel Durov with allowing criminal activity on the platform.
— Bernama
