Updated at 12.30pm on 8 September 2024:

Malaysia Minister of Communications Fahmi Fadzil has issued a statement on his social media account that the MCMC will NOT be implementing the Malaysian DNS redirection after all.

This is following overwhelmingly negative feedback from the majority of Malaysians and Internet users in Malaysia who opposed the move, which would have potentially curbed the Internet freedom and usage of Malaysians.

Isu jenayah dalam talian termasuk akses ke laman-laman web perjudian, persundalan, pornografi dan seumpamanya amat membimbangkan dan memerlukan usaha penyelesaian yang menyeluruh.

Kerajaan tidak akan berkompromi dalam hal ini, demi menjamin keselamatan dalam talian buat rakyat…

— Fahmi Fadzil ?? (@fahmi_fadzil) September 8, 2024

Previous story posted on 7 September 2024:

It is reported that the Malaysian Communications And Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has instructed local internet service providers (ISPs) to redirect Domain Name Service (DNS) traffic that uses third-party DNS servers back to their own DNS servers. This will reportedly be enforced starting from 30 September 2024.

In a statement via The Edge Malaysia, MCMC stated:

“It has been falsely claimed that the measure undertaken by MCMC is a draconian measure. We reiterate that Malaysia’s implementation is for the protection of vulnerable groups from harmful online content.

The DNS system can protect users by blocking access to websites known for distributing malware, phishing, and other malicious activities, as well as filter inappropriate content such as adult material and violent websites.

Websites are only blocked when they are found to host malicious content, such as copyright infringements, online gambling, or pornography. Legitimate websites remain accessible as usual, and DNS redirection ensures that harmful content is filtered out while safe sites remain reachable without noticeable disruption.”

What Does The DNS Redirection Mean?

DNS is what turns website names into IP addresses that your PC can then use to locate other sites on the internet.

Starting from 30 September 2024, previously public DNS services such as Google’s 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4, or Cloudflare’s 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1, will be redirected through local servers.

What this means is that users may not be able to access some sites that the MCMC considers harmful or illegal.

How Will The DNS Redirection Affect Gamers And Video Games?

At the time of writing, it is currently unclear how the DNS redirection will be affecting gamers in Malaysia. Right now, the potential effects of the DNS redirection include the possible banning of particular websites related to video games.

In the worst-case scenario, access to popular digital video game platforms such as Steam or the Epic Games Store might get blocked because the MCMC considers them to be ‘harmful’ or related to gambling.

There’s a precedent for the MCMC blocking Steam before. Back in 2017, the MCMC temporarily banned and blocked access to Steam in Malaysia when the controversial mythology-based fighting game Fight Of Gods was released on the platform.

If the DNS redirection happens and is enforced, there’s no telling what websites or platforms that the MCMC could ban or block access to. This will ultimately be detrimental to gamers, and Internet users in general, in Malaysia.

So far, users have reported that the popular art-sharing website ArtStation has been blocked. It’s a website that many gamers go to share their fan art of game characters, or some artists in the games industry showcase their art portfolio there as well.

However, this has only affected certain users. At the time of writing, we (the writer of the article) can still access ArtStation.

What’s Next?

We’re still waiting for more details and information from the MCMC on the DNS redirection and how it will affect Internet users in Malaysia.

We will likely learn more as we get closer to 30 September 2024, so stay tuned.