NordVPN
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Opens 67
- Al Jazeera
- Amnesty International
- BBC
- Bluesky
- Change.org
- ChatGPT
- Claude
- CNN
- Copilot
- DeepSeek
- Discord
- Dropbox
- DuckDuckGo
- DW
- Epic Games
- ExpressVPN
- Gemini
- GitHub
- Gmail
- Google Search
- Grindr
- Grok
- Human Rights Watch
- Imgur
- Internet Archive
- LINE
- Mada Masr
- Medium
- Meduza
- Messenger
- Mullvad
- Netflix
- NordVPN
- Perplexity
- Proton Mail
- Proton VPN
- Psiphon
- Radio Free Europe
- Roblox
- RT
- Signal
- Snapchat
- SoundCloud
- Spotify
- Steam
- Surfshark
- Telegram
- The Guardian
- The New York Times
- Threads
- TikTok
- Tor Project
- Tumblr
- Twitch
- Viber
- Vimeo
- Wikipedia
- X (Twitter)
- YouTube
- Zoom
Background
Internet censorship in Malaysia
Blocks are ordered by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) under Section 263 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, and internet providers must carry them out. The MCMC publishes no list, so people often find out only when a site won’t load. In September 2024 it told providers to reroute queries sent to outside DNS services to their own servers, then shelved the plan after an outcry.
Freedom House says Malaysia doesn’t block or filter content systematically, but it does block news sites seen as critical of the government, such as MalaysiaNow for three days in June 2023 and Asia Sentinel from December 2023. LGBT+ sites have been blocked too: by April 2024 seven providers had blocked Grindr on MCMC orders. Since May 2023 telecoms firms have also been told to block links in text messages, to curb scams.
Rules for platforms tightened from 2025. Social media and messaging services with at least 8 million Malaysian users have needed a licence since 1 January 2025, and from 2026 WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube were deemed licensed. Amendments in force since February 2025 criminalise “grossly offensive” and false content, and the Online Safety Act 2025, in force since 1 January 2026, makes platforms reduce users’ exposure to harmful content.
Rules approved in November 2025 bar under-16s from opening accounts on the biggest platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, from 1 June 2026, with checks against government ID; gaming platforms such as Roblox were left out of the first phase. In January 2026 the MCMC also restricted Grok for 12 days, over obscene and non-consensual images made with it.
Are VPNs legal in Malaysia?
Using a VPN is legal in Malaysia: Freedom House says there are no specific restrictions on using VPNs.
Key dates
- The MCMC restricts Grok for 12 days over obscene, non-consensual AI images, until X confirms new safeguards.
- The Online Safety Act 2025 takes effect, and platforms with 8 million or more Malaysian users, such as WhatsApp, TikTok and YouTube, are deemed licensed.
- The cabinet approves rules barring under-16s from opening social media accounts from 1 June 2026, with age checks against government ID.
- Social media and messaging services with at least 8 million users in Malaysia start needing a licence.
- The MCMC shelves a plan to make internet providers reroute queries for outside DNS services to their own servers, after an outcry.
- The Sinar Project reports that seven internet providers have blocked the LGBT+ dating app Grindr on MCMC orders.
Get past a block
Blocked in Malaysia?
A VPN connects you through a server in another country, so the blocks in Malaysia no longer apply. Where VPNs themselves are blocked, you need one that can disguise its traffic.
Surfshark
- Camouflage Mode makes VPN traffic look like ordinary traffic
- Unlimited devices on one plan
- Apps for phones, computers and TVs
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History
Changes in Malaysia
No confirmed changes since monitoring began on 29 Sep 2026. When a block appears or lifts, and a re-check on several machines agrees, it shows up here.
Method
How we test
- Test machines on TM Unifi and Maxis home connections open each site’s homepage every day.
- A failure counts only when it happens twice on the same network, while the site opens from other countries.
- A change is published only after a re-check a few hours later, on several machines per provider, confirms it. It’s dated from the first sighting.
- Test machines caught getting around blocks, through a VPN or a filter-dodging tool, are set aside.
- We test websites over home broadband. Apps, calls and mobile networks can behave differently.
Questions
Censorship in Malaysia: questions
Is Grindr Blocked in Malaysia?
Freedom House reported in 2024 that Grindr had been newly blocked, with seven Malaysian internet providers carrying out MCMC orders against it, and that other LGBT+ sites, such as Planet Romeo and the website of the rights group ILGA, were still blocked.
Do Social Media Platforms Need a Licence in Malaysia?
The big ones do. Since 1 January 2025, social media and messaging services with at least 8 million users in Malaysia have needed an Applications Service Provider Class licence, and from 1 January 2026 WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube were deemed licensed automatically.
Is Grok Blocked in Malaysia?
It was for 12 days. The MCMC restricted access to Grok on 11 January 2026 after repeated misuse to make obscene and non-consensual sexual images, and lifted the restriction on 23 January, once X confirmed new safeguards, subject to continuous monitoring.
Answers