The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission said in a statement that DNS queries were being redirected to servers of local internet service providers “for the protection of vulnerable groups from harmful online content”.
Complaints about the DNS redirection have been raised in recent days. Among the complaints was one by the health policy group Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy which said the rule had caused problems with its website access.
Some internet users complained on social media today that DNS redirection has resulted in access to a game site being blocked, as well as a download of a VPN (virtual private network) application.
Fears were also expressed of disruptions to system and software updates that required access to secure DNS servers.
A petition against DNS redirection has also been started.
DNS servers direct internet traffic by providing the route from the user to the target website. Some users chose to use third-party DNS servers such as Google DNS (8.8.8.8) or Cloudflare (1.1.1.1) for faster speeds and other benefits.
However, from Sept 30, all DNS queries will be redirected to the DNS servers of local internet service providers (ISPs).
MCMC’s chief network security officer Sulaiman Sultan Suhaibuddeen said: “The ISPs were briefed at the end of last year and they have also conducted pilot tests. We have given them until the end of this month to carry out the final implementation.”
The MCMC statement said third-party servers “did not have the same level of protection for harmful content” compared to DNS servers of local ISPs.
“What is being done now is a strengthening of measures to prevent access to content that is unlawful,” said Sulaiman.
He allayed users’ fears of privacy being compromised, saying internet browsing activities are not visible to MCMC.
“This redirection involves the respective ISPs; there is no connection to MCMC. For example, if someone is a customer of Telekom Malaysia, they will be redirected to TM. We are not involved, and we do not have any information,” Bernama quoted him as saying.
The MCMC statement denied a blanket ban had been enforced, saying “websites are only blocked when they are found to host malicious or unlawful content”. It added: “Legitimate websites remain accessible as usual.”
MCMC said a total of 24,277 websites were blocked between 2018 and August this year, the bulk of which comprised sites promoting online gambling (39%) or containing pornography or obscene content (31%) or copyright infringement (14%).
Other sites deemed harmful include those promoting the sale of unregistered products, unregistered money lending activity, disclosure or sale of personal data (12%), prostitution (2%), and unlawful investments or scams (2%).
MCMC said internet users who encounter difficulty in accessing legitimate websites should contact their service provider for assistance or contact MCMC directly for further support.