Telegram to work with govt to fight digital piracy, says Fahmi Fadzil

Messaging platform Telegram is ready to work together with the government to fight digital piracy on its platform, communications minister Fahmi Fadzil reportedly said. 

The minister reportedly said that he's received complaints about pirated films that are being distributed on the platform. He added that several meetings have been held with Telegram to discuss the issue, according to Malay Mail. 

Fighting digital piracy will require the cooperation of distributors, copyright owners and supervisory bodies such as the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commision (MCMC), Fahmi told reporters at the special screening of Sheriff: Narko Integriti.

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It will also require a bit of time to tackle the issue as the platform is not based in Malaysia, he said, according to Bernama. 

The issue of digital piracy on Telegram has returned as a hot topic following a rant by producer and director Shahrulezad Mohammedin.

Earlier in April this year, the prolific director reportedly called out viewers who watched his drama Khunsa through illegal channels such as Telegram. Shahrulezad reportedly added that he has discussed the issue with Astro and that it was decided that the issue can be resolved through collective cooperation with relevant authorities. 

Across the border, in Singapore, the Singapore Police Force made a request to Telegram to remove access to accounts disseminating sexually explicit materials in November 2023. 

Sun Xueling, minister of state for home affairs, said that were some improvements in the government’s engagement with the messaging platform. 

“We will continue to work with them and other online platforms to better protect Singapore users from harmful content,” she said in parliament at the time. 

“When the Online Criminal Harms Act is operationalised progressively from the first quarter of 2024, the police can issue a disabling direction to online platforms such as Telegram to prevent such materials on the platform from being accessed by Singapore users," she said.

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