KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 25 — News portal The Malaysian Insider is currently inaccessible to mobile Internet users on the Celcom network, with a notice announcing that it is being blocked for violating national laws.
The notice displayed when attempting to access the page said the site was being blocked under Section 263 (2) of Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 for violating Section 233 of the same law.
The news portal remains accessible, however, on other networks.
Section 233 pertains to the improper use of network facilities or network services.
The block was confirmed by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission’s (MCMC) strategic communications senior director Sheikh Raffie Abdul Rahman
“Yes. Wait for our statement on it. We will issue a statement in a few minutes,” he told Malay Mail Online.
Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak also declined to comment when contacted, and referred the matter to the MCMC.
In its subsequently released statement, the MCMC reiterated the section of the CMA that the news portal allegedly violated, but did not identify the offending article or articles.
“The block was implemented by the MCMC based in complaints and information received from the public,” the statement read.
“MCMC would like to remind news portals not to distribute or publish articles that have not been verified. This action can cause confusion and result in unwanted situations,” the commission added.
The news portal is now believed to be blocked on TM’s networks that include the Celcom and Unifi broadband services, but continues to be accessible on other providers.
