SOCIAL messaging app Telegram has announced that it will not participate in any form of political censorship as the reason for its refusal to cooperate with the Malaysian government, the New Straits Times reported today.

Telegram spokesman Remi Vaughn said the app moderates harmful content, including pornography and the sale of illegal substances.

Vaughn said Telegram also monitors the public parts of the app and accepts user reports to remove content that breaches the platform’s terms of service.

“Telegram will not, however, participate in any form of political censorship,” he was quoted as saying.

Yesterday, Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil said Telegram had refused to engage with the government over the app’s content .

He said numerous complaints had been lodged against the platform, following which many attempts had been made by the government to engage with the company since January.

Fahmi said the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) will recommend the next course of action to be taken against the platform.

“We are having trouble with Telegram. They have been invited (for talks) but they are not cooperating. This could be an issue.

“The complaints are many but we do not see the effort from Telegram to cooperate,” the minister had said.

He said concerns had been raised over numerous issues, including pornography and drug-related content on Telegram. – May 28, 2023.