Following the decision of online messaging application Telegram to cooperate with various governments, especially France to deal with the increase of criminal groups that use the platform as a means of communication, the Minister of Communications, Fahmi Fadzil has confirmed that the same thing is also being done in Malaysia.
He said that the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) had already met with Telegram on 18 September 2024 to discuss ways to combat the issue of criminal syndicates in the country.
Fahmi said that there are several forms of crime that are still prevalent especially in Malaysia's cyber world, including cyber fraud syndicates that include money theft and fake investments, selling drugs, pornography and crimes against children.
With the latest announcement made by Telegram, where they will work with the government to ensure that the platform is free from these evil elements. The SKMM and Telegram are also said to continue discussions to ensure that these groups are not only shut down, but also that the masterminds behind such channels are searched and arrested so that they can no longer carry out such evil activities.
Fahmi also said that so far, the government has no intention of taking action against Telegram on the condition that cooperation is given to ensure that the platform is free from any malicious content.