KUALA LUMPUR – Civil legal action has been taken against social media platform Telegram and the administrators of the “Edisi Siasat” and “Edisi Khas” channels over content found to be in breach of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (Act 588), according to the Communications Ministry.
Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said a temporary court order has been issued for the removal of the offending content, as specified in the legal action filed, followed by the channels being taken down.
“As of now, the legal proceedings against Telegram and the administrators of the Edisi Siasat and Edisi Khas channels are still under judicial consideration,” he said in a written reply in the Dewan Rakyat.
He was responding to a question from Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin (Masjid Tanah-PN) on how the government intends to ensure that action against Telegram channels like Edisi Siasat and Edisi Khas does not undermine freedom of expression, especially when the content in question touches on transparency and anti-corruption issues.
Fahmi said Malaysians are generally free to publish content on any social media platform, including material related to transparency and corruption.
“This applies as long as the content and its publication do not contravene the law.
“The same goes for social media platforms – while content may be published on their services, the platforms must also bear responsibility for ensuring the content does not breach legal provisions,” he said, as reported by Berita Harian.
Fahmi added that the government remains committed to keeping the country’s digital space secure, ethical and aligned with existing laws.
In June, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) filed civil suits against the two Telegram channels – “Edisi Siasat” and “Edisi Khas”.
“This followed Telegram’s serious failure to act on content that had been repeatedly reported to them, despite multiple attempts by MCMC to engage and cooperate with the platform,” the statement said. – July 24, 2025.