KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 5 — Shopee Malaysia has permanently banned one of its associate sellers for selling access to a Telegram group sharing child pornography for just RM39.99.
The listing was immediately removed from the e-commerce platform after Shopee was made aware of it, The Star reported today.
“We have permanently banned the associated seller account.
“We are also investigating the individuals involved and have reported this to the police,” an unnamed Shopee representative was quoted as saying.
The representative said Shopee is currently reviewing its site to protect users from such listings.
The representative told the newspaper that Shopee has several automated and manual safeguards to identify and block such listings, but believes the seller managed to avoid detection by using specific keywords or codes.
“At Shopee, we are committed to providing all our users with a safe, reliable and enjoyable shopping experience, and we have zero tolerance for selling offensive items on our platform.
“We require our sellers to adhere to our policies as well as local government regulations, and we take stern action against sellers who do not comply,” the representative was quoted as saying.
The Star reported that the listing was flagged by internet user Adil Hidayat in a post on the Pendakwah Teknologi Facebook page yesterday after he was alerted about it by another user.
Adil claimed to have made a purchase of the Telegram access to verify the truth of the matter so he could alert the authorities, and added that he was later contacted by the seller who shared an invite to a Telegram group.
“The sellers only asked if I knew what the group was for, then said I could copy the Telegram group link and search on Google,” Adil was quoted as saying.
Adil claimed he saw child pornography material shared in that Telegram group, adding that the group administrator also provided access to other similar groups on Telegram.
He said the group he was given access to has 35 members with a “VIP Club” profile photo.
“It’s alarming, just RM40 for unlimited access,” he was quoted as saying.
He said that he posted the notice so that the authorities could stop the group’s activities and tagged the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, the police, and Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil.
“I was mad. Sakit hati (anguished) until I didn’t know what to say. I have a child. I feel we are not in a safe place anymore,” he was quoted as saying.
According to Adil, the seller had over 800 followers, 21 listed products, and a six-year history on the platform.
Shopee was in the spotlight in June for listing the sale of sex dolls with childlike features on its platform.
The matter was highlighted by a user on social media platform Twitter (now known as X), who shared screenshots showing the items priced at up to RM1,500.
One doll, in particular, wore the Malaysian girls’ primary school uniform.
Shopee said it removed the listings and permanently banned the sellers’ accounts after finding out.
